


Angel of Mine

by OneAndOnlyTako



Category: Midnight Poppy Land (Webcomic)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Baristas, Coffee Shops, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Maybe some angst, Relationship(s), Romance, i don't know yet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2021-02-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:55:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 24,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27460795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneAndOnlyTako/pseuds/OneAndOnlyTako
Summary: An ultimate AU of Midnight Poppy Land where Poppy is a barista. Tora is a school board director.
Relationships: Tora/Poppy Wilkes
Comments: 135
Kudos: 186





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever fanfic. Shout out to my favorite writers and the best beta readers: TheCurvedWrittingDesk and peanutbutterandchelly. I appreciate your time, your feedback, your support and your encouragement.  
> Although English is not my first language (I'm from Thailand: สวัสดีค่ะ!) but you guys pushed me to get out of my comfort zone and do the thing I never thought I could do. I'm forever grateful!
> 
> JT: for introducing me to WebToon. VY, my coworker: for your input on this chapter.
> 
> Last but not least, a HUGE thank to Lilly Dusk, the creator of MPL. She's the goddess and mastermind. Support her on WebToon and Patreon!

Two weeks after Poppy moved to Narin City she found a gym that offered yoga classes. It was on the second floor of one of the big buildings downtown. Poppy was not expecting a gym to be this big, she was used to small studios in Moonbright, her hometown. Poppy was trying to locate where the class was held but couldn’t find it. She walked to the nearest guy she saw. Wearing a black tank top and grey sweatpants, he had his back to her. He was tan and tall with long black hair in a half messy bun, he looked buff even from behind, colorful tattoos displayed on both arms. 

_‘He might work here,’_ she thought. 

Poppy reached up and tapped him between his shoulder blades, “Excuse me, do you know where the yoga class is?” The dark guy turned around, removing his earbuds, looking at her. When their eyes met Poppy felt intense golden eyes staring back at her. 

_‘Oh crap, no name tag. He doesn’t work here!’_ And was that a smirk she saw?

“I don’t know, sweetheart. I don’t work here,” Tora said with a half grin on his face. No one had ever interrupted his workout before. No one. And there she was, a short busty brown eyed girl with a sling yoga mat bag over her shoulder staring back at him.

“Oh I.. I’m sorry, I thought you worked here,” Poppy replied. She could feel the heat rushing to her cheeks either from embarrassment or from the gaze of this beautiful man, she couldn’t be sure.

“‘S’ okay, I can find out for ya though,” he said holding her stare, she was cute, he thought. Her brown hair was wrapped in a tight bun on top of her head, her pink tank top and black yoga pants showing all the curves where they should be. 

Poppy was ready for a workout and didn’t want to waste her time talking to this guy. She didn’t want to be late for her first class as it would be rude to step in after it had started. “Never mind, I’ll find it on my own,” Poppy scurried away. Tora couldn’t stop watching her round butt swaying side to side. 

After the Savasana, Poppy felt more relaxed and calmed, she just realized that she hadn’t thanked that mysterious man. It hit her then how rude she had been to him. She had to find him to thank him and apologize. Poppy looked around but did not see him, she ran towards the front of the building at the same time Tora pulled up in his red sports car with his windows rolled down, cigarette in his hand. 

“Hey!” she yelled. Tora looked back at his rear view mirror seeing a cute shorty running to his car. He pulled over and grinned.

_‘This little hamster interrupted my workout and now my driving? What is it that she wants this time?’_

Poppy was panting as she walked to his car, “Umm, well. I-I wanted to apologize and thank you for offering to help me. That was rude of me back there.”  
Tora looked at her, her neat bun became lose a little, a few strand of brown hair falling around her face, her cheeks were pink with beads of sweat down her neck and she looked sexy as hell. 

“Welcome. I’ll forgive ya if ya give me yer number,” he said to her not breaking eye contact, handing her his phone. Poppy took it as if she’d fallen under a spell. Obeying the demand confusedly, she punched in her number as she was told, her cheeks bright red. She handed his phone back and felt her phone vibrate in her yoga mat bag. She took it out with a puzzled look. 

“Gotta make sure ya gave me the right number kid,” Tora said smiling, flashing his dimples at her.

“I’m not a kid and my name is Poppy,” she said fiercely.

“OK, Bobby. I’m Tora,” he playfully uttered. “I’ll see ya later, sweetheart.” He said before taking a drag of his cigarette and driving off.

_‘She looked like a goddamn angel!’_

He wanted to know more about her, wanted to know everything about her even after a short encounter. He didn’t want to come off as a creep but knew Gyu would help him find her. His friend was an expert on computer shit anyway. Tora made himself a mental note that he would see her again, somewhere, somehow.

Poppy was left perplexed. She just gave her phone number to a complete stranger as if she was summoned by that devilish smile. _‘Is this how city folks ask for the digits? Maybe I was being naive or stupid; either way there shouldn’t be any harm on that. He was cute, hot, and his body... Ohmygod...There’s no way he’d call so no need to worry.’_ Poppy assured herself.

*****

“Welcome to Narin Coffee Shop, what can I get you today?” Poppy greeted customers in front of her. It was her second day working at the coffee shop. Her best friend, Erdene vouched for her to Gil, the shop’s owner. She was hired on the spot and was stationed to work at the counter. Even though her shift started at 5:30 am, she was grateful she had landed a job so soon. Moving to the big city after graduating college was tough and stressful. She dreamed of becoming an editor one day but until then any job would do. Thank goodness for a good friend, a minimum wage job, and a mediocre apartment.

Gil gave her a couple of brown collared shirts with a giant goldfish embroiled on the left pocket. Poppy was thankful for the uniform she had to wear to work. Not only she saved money on work clothes but she also saved time to get ready in the morning since she had to be at the bus station by 4:45 am to catch the first bus.

It would be a few more days before she would be able to make beverages. For now, her job was to learn to take drink orders, run a cash register, and work on brewing machines. She was a fast learner with a bubbly personality. Erdene knew she would get along with other coworkers and customers would love her.

Looking up, she saw a tall, neatly styled blonde man in a salmon color shirt waving at Erdene who worked at the bar and Jacob who was tasked as a floater. “Good morning party people,” the blonde man said loudly. 

“You are new here!” He said looking at Poppy. “My name is Quincey and I’d like a medium breve sugar free vanilla latte with an add shot of espresso, please…” His voice trailed off, his eyes squinting at the makeshift name tag, “Poppy! Oh your name matches your delicate doll face!” Quincey continued cheerfully. 

Poppy was amazed at how energetic this blue eyed man was. She carefully wrote down the order on a coffee sleeve and didn’t pay attention to the stoic guy behind him until he moved to stand next to the perky man. 

Turning to the man on his left, Quincey asked, “Honey, do you want your usual?” The other guy nodded, “medium black coffee, please... Bobby.” 

Poppy averted her eyes to the sound of the other’s man’s husky voice. Tora had his long hair combed nicely in a half bun, wearing a white button up long sleeve shirt. She paused in disbelief and gasped. 

Jacob scooted behind her and whispered “Le Greek God and Quincess have entered the quest to forage for their liquid gold.” Poppy pressed her lips together, trying not to let out a chuckle. 

*Mumble Grunt* Tora gave Jacob a death stare as if he was meaning to say _‘Too close, asshole.’_

Jacob shrieked, bolting back to his spot behind the pastry case. Poppy turned around, filled up a paper cup from the thermal carafe behind her and handed it to Tora. She spotted a black titanium ring on his middle finger and triple strand bracelet wrapped around his wrist. Their fingers grazed for a moment, she looked up at him, saw a smirk and felt heat crept up on her face. 

He gave her $20 bill, telling her to keep the change. Both tall men walked toward the other side of the bar, waiting for the cuppa to be made. Tora sipped his coffee all the while keeping his eyes at the brown haired girl. He couldn’t comprehend how she managed to look so hot with just a basic brown collared shirt and a yellow apron.

“Ask her out already bro,” Quincey muttered. “Shut the fuck up,” Tora replied with an even low voice, prolonging the stare.

Erdene called out Quincey’s name, leaving his cup on top of the bar counter. Quincey grabbed his cup and leaned in to whisper to Erdene, “Thank you, dear. Looks like my brother found a snack he likes.”

“My friend is a three course meal, Quincey!” Erdene mumbled and they both laughed.

“Ciao, bellas!” Quincey shouted and waved his hand as the men left the shop. The three employees waved back, Tora held his coffee cup up, acknowledging Poppy’s gesture. 

During her lunch break mid morning, Poppy was texting Julri to see if she could call to talk to him. He made her upset last night after yelling at her for no reason. She was always the one who initiated the conversation between them even after his outbursts. The past couple of weeks, phone calls and texts seemed to be shorter and shorter each passing day.

It was becoming the norm. 

J: Not right now, bae. I’m busy tutoring. I’ll call you later 

P: OK. 

Poppy sat in the break room, continuing to eat her lunch silently. She hoped he would at least text her to say sorry for last night but he didn’t, like many times before.

After the line of customers had slowed down, Erdene helped Poppy dump out old coffee from the carafes. “The Balthuman boys,” she said to her friend. “They’re cute, aren’t they?”

“They are a cute couple,” Poppy said smiling. 

“Oh, Pops. No, they’re not dating. They’re brothers!” Erdene tried not to laugh at her friend’s assumption.

“Oh... I thought...” Poppy let out a laugh.

“They work at Balthuman Academy down the street. I think one of them is interested in you, girl. I’ve never seen that man stare at anyone or anything that long. I thought you’d turn into stone.” 

“Yah, right. A guy like him and a girl like me? No fudging way, ma’am, plus I already have a boyfriend,” Poppy declared.

“That liner needle dick? He would never measure up to 27 magnum Bugpin!” Erdene teased, referencing tattoo guns. She knew how bad Julri had been treating Poppy. She noticed Puppy’s puffy eyes this morning but didn’t mention it since she knew her friend had cried over her shitty boyfriend again. 

Both girls giggled and continued to complete their tasks for the next shift to take over.

*****

Poppy went to yoga class after work, hoping to see Tora there but it was only 1 pm. He must have still been at work at the most prestigious school in Narin. How a tattoo man with a pair of black gauge earrings was employed at an expensive private school was beyond her, she would have to find out from Erdene.

When Poppy got home, she took a shower, heated up some leftover and caught up on one of the Netflix original series. Before going to bed, it was a habit to call her Granny every evening before calling Julri in case he made her cry again. He made her promise to call him every night but for the past weeks, it felt like a chore. A few nights he didn’t even answer the phone at all.

She called him the first night she moved in, stressed, tired, and hungry, all she wanted to hear was consoling words but he made her cry by saying monotonously that she made a bad decision to move away and it was her fault for having big dreams.

She was getting ready for bed when her phone pinged:

T: Nice seeing you today, Bobby 

P: You too, Tora 

T: See you tomorrow, sweetheart 

P: Fresh brew coffee will be ready! I’m going to bed now. TTYL 

Poppy didn’t know why a couple texts from Tora warmed her heart, more than texts that Julri sent her all day. Whatever it was, it felt kind of nice and she kind of liked it. With that thought, she drifted into sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tapas Tuesday anyone?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TheCurvedWritingDesk, thank you sooo much for beta read this chapter for me. I am forever grateful!
> 
> Thank you guys so so much for all the kudos and comments. I really didn't expect these many feedback and I appreciate you all. I might have shed a tear or two!
> 
> All characters belong to the Goddess and Mastermind aka LillyDusk. Support her on Webtoon and Patreon. Follow her on IG: lillydusk.art

A month after Poppy started working at the coffee shop; she got to know regular customers through their orders. Some would order the same thing every day while the others changed up their drinks depending on their mood or season promotional. She would pick up shifts as much as she could because living in the city on her own was very expensive.

She also got to know more about the Balthuman Boys from Erdene and Quincey himself. Tora was an athletic director and Quincey oversaw English and drama department. They were some types of high ups, school directors of some sort. Occasionally a skinny guy with a goatee named Gyu joined them for a coffee run, he worked in IT. The men always made sure to leave a hefty tip every time they stopped by. Poppy wondered if they knew that the tips were equally divided by all of the employees but she wouldn’t complain, every little bit of income helped.

Last Friday, Quincey handed his favorite baristas a handmade invitation card like only a Princess would do. He invited them for Tapas Tuesday at the bar nearby. Poppy wasn’t planning on going but decided last minute she would since the next day was her day off. She wanted to get drunk to forget about her ex-boyfriend, Julri, who she caught cheating on her only a few days ago. 

Poppy went back to Moonbright, intending to surprise Julri at his house but the surprise had been on her! She saw him with a blonde girl, sucking each other’s faces. Poppy didn’t want to hear any more excuses and defensive squabble from him; she left without saying a word. She felt betrayed and hurt but relieved that their relationship was finally over. She tried not to cry on the train but she did anyway, only because she regretted that she had wasted almost four years of her life with a toxic piece of crap.

_‘Long distance relationships never work out anyway. He’d been pressuring me to ‘give in and do it’ every chance he got but I never felt like doing anything more than kissing. Even just that, it felt disgusted and awfully wrong. He is a fudging jerkwad. He doesn’t deserve me!’ Poppy told herself while getting ready. ‘And maybe I’ll finally meet a nice guy who will love and respect me for who I am; who won’t pressure me to do things I didn’t want to do; who is tall, tan, and handsome...’_

Poppy turned beet red and smiled at her last thought when Tora came to her mind. Putting on a woven teal dress, its v-neckline showcased her full breast, the hem reached just above her knees. She let her hair down for tonight. She felt as if she was getting back at Julri, if only he could see her right now. 

When Poppy got to the bar, everyone was already seated at a small circle table outside on the patio with drinks in hand. She walked to the table and could swear she saw Tora arch his eyebrows, big wide golden eyes staring at her. To her amusement the only spot left was next to Tora, Quincey sat to his left, Erdene was sitting between Jacob and Gyu. She said hi to everybody and sat down. 

“Hi honey, you finally made it! What would you like to drink? Order whatever you want, it’s on me!” Quincey said with a big smile, reaching for a couple olives on the plate in the middle. Poppy thanked him and opted for a pink moscato. 

Everyone was chatting, drinking, and having a good time. Poppy was enjoying the company but still couldn’t shake what she saw only a couple days ago. Tora peeked at her once in a while, their eyes met, no words coming from either of them. Poppy felt affection from his gold eyes. 

_‘Why does he keep looking at me like that?’_

The eye game between the two didn’t escape Quincey’s observant gaze. _‘I see you now, bro. But damn, what’s going on in your head, you little nasty!’_

____

As time went by, the whole table talked and laughed louder. Quincey turned to Poppy and said “Erdene said you are a freelance editor. I’m working on a novel, I’d love to hear your feedback and maybe we could work something out.” 

__

Poppy was elated, she leaned over to get closer to Quincey, placing her hand on the seat right between Tora’s legs and answered giddily, “Of course, Quincey. First session is complementary!”

__

Just then she heard a throat clearing and felt warm breath on her neck. She tilted her head and saw Tora staring right at her, inches away. She thought she saw him blush.

“Opps, sorry Tora. I was just too excited,” she uttered and sat back up in her seat. 

“’S fine,” Tora nodded and continued sipping his strawberry juice. When he looked down at her, he could see the top of her ample breasts underneath her dress. Suddenly he felt tightness in his chest and his jeans, he discreetly adjusted himself. 

__

Quincey and Erdene let out quiet gasp, looking at each other mischievously. They knew they had to come up with a plan to connect their best friends’ hopeless hearts. Without saying any words; they only communicated by squinting and blinking their eyes, puckering and pouting their lips as if they were speaking in Morse code. If someone were to keep an eye at these two goons, they’d think these sidekicks were having medical problems.

__

After a couple of hours and a few glasses of pink moscato, Poppy felt a little tipsy, she knew it was time to go home. It was getting late, Erdene and Jacob wanted to leave too because they had to work early in the morning. “Jacob is going to drop me off. Your place is on the other side of town. You might have to get a taxi, Pops” Erdene said to Poppy, winking at Quincey. 

__

“Poppy, are you sure you can get home by yourself? I have an idea, why doesn’t Tora take you home?” Quincey asked as if he knew his cue. 

__

“I’ll be fine, thanks Quincey,” Poppy replied. 

__

“Don’t worry baby cake, he may look like a brute but he’s really quite harmless.” Qunicey quipped.

__

_‘To a cute little female anyway,’_ Quincey thought, smirking. 

__

Tora didn’t say anything but grabbed Poppy’s wrist and headed toward the exit. Poppy said goodbye to the group and practically had to run after him. When they got to his car, he let go of her wrist to open the door for her. She sat down on the passenger seat and reached over to open the door for him. Tora was stunned by the small gesture showing her thoughtfulness for nobody had ever done this for him before.

__

The drive to her apartment was total silence. The only noises were a whizz from the wind and the soft music from the radio. Tora had his window down, his elbow rested on an open space. He was fidgeting for a cigarette, he was hoping the cool breeze would help ease the nicotine needs.

__

“Are ya ok, Bobby? Yer too quiet,” he glanced at Poppy and asked.

__

Poppy nodded still looking down, playing with the hem of her dress. 

__

“Ya not getting sick, are ya?” Tora tried to break the silence. 

__

Poppy shook her head, still looking down on her lap. 

__

“Something bothering ya?” Tora asked doubtfully. “I’m just going to drop ya off and leave. Wanted to make sure ya get home safe, sweetheart.” He said with his most earnest voice.

__

“I caught my ex cheating on me…” Poppy said trying to hold her tears. She didn’t know why she was telling him that. She hadn’t told anyone other than Erdene. Maybe she felt she could trust him, maybe she wanted somebody to talk to or maybe she was simply drunk? 

__

“I thought I could go out and have fun. I mean I did have fun tonight but I still couldn’t forget what I saw. He grossed me out,” she continued, tears flowing down freely now. She tried to wipe her face with the back of her hands.

__

“He’s a piece of shit,” Tora said quietly under his breath. “Not ya’ fault he’s a fucking douchebag, Bobby.”

__

Poppy let out a chuckle. “I know. I’m glad it’s over though. I feel like I can finally breathe again.”

__

Tora felt bad for her. She had just had her heart broken but was still putting up a façade. He wanted to comfort her – he wanted hug her but it was not the right place and time to do that. He moved his left hand that was hanging out the window to hold the steering wheel. He reached his other hand out and grabbed her wrist, intending to just put his hand on top of hers. To his surprise, she intertwined their hands and let them sit on her lap. 

__

_‘I just want to know what holding my hand feels like for her. Because to me, it feels like the most natural thing in the world.’_

__

If she looked at him, she would see his blush. They both were thankful for the loud engine from the sports car otherwise they would hear their heat beats rhythmically breaking the silence. After driving for nearly twenty minutes, they finally got to her apartment. 

__

“Would you like to come up for a cup of tea?” Poppy blurted out without thinking. 

__

_‘Ugh Poppy… You and your cringy self! It’s late, he probably wants to g-‘_

__

Her thought was interrupted from a husky voice “Sure, Bobby.”

__

Tora got out of the car, ran to the opposite side to open the door for her and held his hand out. She took his hand and they both walked up four flights of stairs together, hand in hand, her heart hammering wildly in her chest. Poppy let go of his hand to unlock the door. 

__

“Welcome to my crib!” Poppy said cheerfully.

__

Tora followed her inside, taking off his shoes, leaving them by the door. Her cozy studio apartment was tiny but tidy. She didn’t have a lot of furniture as most of them were hand-me-down. Small nook by the sliding balcony door filled with a yoga mat and an easel with an unfinished painting. Her place was full of books with spines turned backwards, green leafy plants hanging on bookshelf and paintings all around the wall. A full size bed was placed right by the window, covered with fluffy pillows and a soft comforter. Picture frames of family and friends sat atop an old wooden dresser. Her laptop was sitting on the low table next to the small sofa. 

__

“Make yourself at home. I’ll get us some tea.” Poppy said hurrying toward the kitchen. 

__

Tora sat down on a cushion, his legs spread over the floor.

__

Poppy heated up two mugs of water in a microwave, knowing it was not the right way her Granny taught her to make tea but it was late and she wanted to brew a quick one. She giggled at the sight of a gentle giant on her tiny furniture.

__

“What’s funny?” he asked with a wide grin.

__

_‘Goddamn it, her laugh is contagious.’_

__

“Your legs are so long, it reminds me of a character in Daddy Long Legs.” She handed him a mug of green tea and sat down next to him.

__

“Not the only thing that’s long, sweetheart,” Tora smirked.

__

“Finish your tea and you can leave,” Poppy’s voice and demeanor changed suddenly. Tora didn’t look up but felt the seat next to him shift. 

__

_‘Fuck. Shit. Why did I have to lay it so thick on her?’_

__

“I thought it would be nice to invite you for a cup of tea. If you have something else in mind, maybe you should…” Poppy’s voice stern, her hands were shaking, her body tensed.

__

“I’m sorry, Poppy. I didn’t mean to make ya feel uncomfortable.” Tora explained sincerely.

__

“The last thing I want is more boy problems, Tora” Poppy confessed with a sigh, looking down at her mug. She couldn’t deny the chemistry between them but wasn’t sure if she was ready to start another relationship so soon.

__

_‘Maybe ya should leave now. Who the fuck ya think ya are trying to test the waters with her?’_

__

Tora put his mug down on the low table next to him. He turned to look at Poppy “I think I should go now.”

__

“I said finish your tea and you can leave,” Poppy said fiercely.

__

“Okay, Anything ya want. Would ya forgive me?” he pleaded with his golden puppy dog eyes.

__

“You think you can get away with anything with that face of yours, those obscene dimples and those colorful sleeve tattoos, Mr. Tall Guy?” Her feisty voice came back. 

__

Tora saw a sheepish grin plastering on her face, he knew he was forgiven.

__

“Damn it, Bobby. Ya know me too well!” he said smiling widely, showing off those obscene dimples.

__

In fact, Tora didn’t want to finish his tea. He didn’t want this moment to end but thought better of it. Something told him he needed to spend alone time with her again. He would be sure to find excuses to do so even if she didn’t invite him next time. He knew he would find a way. 

__

“It’s getting late. I better get going.” Tora declared, getting up from the seat.

__

“Can you text me when you get home?” Poppy stood up beside him and asked shyly.

__

“‘Course, sweetheart. Anything for ya.” 

__

After an awkward side hug at the door, Poppy cleaned up her place then took a shower. Lying down in her bed, she replayed the last hour she spent alone with Tora. She realized how easy it was to open up to him and how kind he treated her. How nice it would be if they became more than friends one day… Her phone pinged, snapping her out of her fantasy. 

__

T: I’m home. Goodnight sweetheart 

__

P: Thank you for driving me home. Goodnight Tora <3 

__


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First date?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TheCurvedWritingDesk, thank you sooo much for beta read and edit this chapter for me.  
> PeanutButterAndChelly, thank you for your feedback.  
> Please know that I appreciate you both very much!! <3
> 
> Getting comments and kudos from other writers and guests give me courage to write more. I'm so honored you guys like my fanfic. <3
> 
> All characters belong to the Goddess and Mastermind aka LillyDusk. Support her on Webtoon and Patreon. Follow her on IG: lillydusk.art

Poppy slept in until 11 am the next day. She wanted to go to yoga in the morning but knew she would miss her regular morning class on her day off. ‘ _Last night was fun_ ,’ she thought smiling to herself. She woke up feeling rested and happy for the first time in months. Perhaps she finally found a nice guy who loved and respected her for who she was; who wouldn’t pressure her to do things she didn’t want to do; who was tall, tan, and handsome... It felt nice having someone who was interested in who she truly was and treated her kindly even though his comments and sense of humor were on a bit of the bad timing side. 

Poppy ate her cereal while checking on her phone for afternoon classes. She made a decision to trust her instinct this time. She decided to put herself out there and give a new relationship a try. She promised herself to ask Tora out if she saw him at the gym today. 

_‘Let’s see how nice the universe is to me this time!’_

*****

Tora was in a good mood and it showed. He was grinning like a damn Cheshire cat. Quincey knew he didn’t go to the coffee shop on Wednesday; he always brought his own coffee. His reserved brother had all kind of coffee makers at home but still stopped by there almost every day, sometimes twice a day. 

Quincey suspected something better than good happened after they left the tapas bar. 

“Did you and my future miss editor have fun last night?” He asked quietly while sitting in the conference room, waiting for a meeting to start.

“Fuck off, Quince,” Tora whispered into Quincey’s ear. 

“Gentlemen, please pay attention to the screen,” Vincent scolded his sons. “Ms. Diana prepared the presentation for the collaboration. If all goes as planned, I would love to cooperate with her father’s organization to expand the academic and athletic sections of our school.” Vincent looked at the slender blonde girl in her expensive white suit jacket and pants. She gave a coy little smile Vincent’s way.

“Maybe we could cooperate something else down the line as well,” he said looking at Tora. Vincent had played match maker for his adopted son and the skinny blonde before, hoping his family would become the most powerful and dominant organization in the country. 

Tora looked up and was met with Diana’s raunchy gaze. She still had the smile on her face but it turned into the seductive one towards him. They had a fling a couple of years ago but he ended it when he realized that he was not ready for any kind of commitment, and certainly not with her. Diana took it pretty well as she knew he wasn’t that into her. It was just convenient for them since both families tried to form business relationships. 

Quincey wasn’t fond of her that much either; in fact he couldn’t stand her at all. He had called her an airheaded pretentious bitch who tried to get herself pregnant with his brother so she could marry him. Quincey swore he could see all her bad intentions through her full face of makeup she always wore. 

Tora could feel Diana eye-fucking him the whole meeting, leaving him feeling annoyed and disgusted. He was familiar with the stare and lewd comments women made toward him but it constantly left him in sour moods. He was used to women throwing themselves at him which was nice sometimes especially when he had an itch. Yet ever since he met Poppy, he only wanted her to scratch that itch away. 

Tora couldn’t wait to get out of the meeting. This was one of many that could have easily been done via email or Zoom. 

He looked forward to going to the gym after work today. 

He told himself he would ask Poppy out if he saw her there. 

*****  
  
Tora checked the schedule at the front desk right when he got to the gym, wanting to find out the time of the yoga class and walked over to the studio. Even with the dimmed light room, he could still make out of Poppy’s scrumptious body shape. The class had just started, she was doing cat - cow poses when Tora saw her.  
  
_‘Shit. Fuck. She’s here. Put on your big boy pants and ask her out. Do not fuck it up!’_  
  
He stared at her a few seconds longer, unable to look away. Her round butt sticking out made his heart fluster.   
  
_‘She’s a fucking sight! How good would it feel to be inside of her?_ ’  
  
As he caught his thought, he sensed a throb in his sweatpants. He had to clear his dirty mind. He walked to the nearest drinking fountain, taking a big gulp of cold water before started a work out. It was chest day, he half-ass lifted weight for about forty five minutes until he found himself wandering back by the studio hoping she would see him when she was done with class. 

Poppy stayed after class to practice a headstand. She put her head down on the mat, tucked her chin in and tried to straighten her legs up towards the ceiling. She asked an instructor to correct her form and spot her but when she was ready to exit the pose; there was no support on her legs. She felt wobbly and lost her balance; she almost fell over backwards. The instructor apologized to her and signaled her to look outside the glass window. When Poppy saw Tora standing by the door, she inhaled through her nose, exhaled through her mouth, mustering up her courage. She had to ask him out as she had promised herself. She rolled her mat, thanked the instructor and walked to the giant iceberg.

“Hey, you. What are you doing here?” Poppy asked boldly.

“Um... Err… Hi, Bobby,” Tora’s voice shook.

“Are you waiting for somebody? The class is over and all the ladies have left,” she teased.

“Yah, um… I was waiting for ya,” he replied, hesitantly.

“Waiting for me?” Poppy said pointing to herself. 

“Yah, ya need a ride home?” Tora struggled to ask the question. 

“A ride home would be nice but what do you want in return, buddy boy?”

 _‘Say Dinner!’_ Poppy secretly thought.

“Nothing! I just have to go home to shower first. Restrooms here are gross as hell,” Tora declared, finally able to stopped being nervous.

Poppy nodded, agreeing with his statement. For a nice gym in the big city, they sure did not take cleanliness seriously. She was disappointed he hadn’t asked her out, yet. She was waiting for the right time to make the first move.

The drive from the gym to his condo was less than 10 minutes. Tora drove his car down the private entrance and parked in the underground garage. He got out of the car, walked over to passenger side, and opened the door for Poppy. He took her yoga mat bag out of her hand and carried it for her. Putting his other hand on her lower back, he ushered her over to the elevator. 

Tora entered the code on the pad, the door slid open, they both walked inside. He pressed on number 18, they rode up in silence. The elevator door opened right in front of a double wooden door. Tora put his thumb on the keypad, after hearing the lock click, he swung open the door. He walked inside ahead of her.

“Welcome to my crib,” he said with a smirk, throwing her words back at her. 

Poppy gasped as she walked in on the dark hickory wood floor. “This is a penthouse, Mr. Down to Earth,” Poppy said. “Mine is a baby one.” She was in awe, being in a spacious and lavish condo for the first time. 

“Well, ya should see Quincey’s. He lives two floors up. Mine is a toddler crib compared to his,” Tora said 

Everything at his place screamed a bachelor pad and that he didn’t have guests come over often.

There was a charcoal wood dining table with 4 chairs to her right. Ceiling to floor windows made the place look bigger. Straight ahead was a sliding door to an open balcony with a low glass railing around it. The view of the city and other concrete buildings stood in front of them.

On her left, she saw oversized glacier grey sectional sofas that looked brand new as if no one had ever sat on them. The entertainment center with the biggest TV screen she had ever seen and the latest gaming console caught her attention. She took off her shoes and followed him in the hallway leading to the kitchen.

_‘Fifty Shades of Grey much?’_

“Ya want anything to drink? I only have water and strawberry juice in the fridge. I can make ya coffee, if ya want.”

“I’m good, thanks. I have water in my bag,” she replied.

A customized kitchen island sat in the middle, there were 4 coffee makers. One of them was the pricey espresso machine. The others were one that uses pods, a Chemex, and a French press.

He was a hardcore coffee drinker but still stopped by coffee shop every morning? 

_‘Impulse buys to its finest! Or maybe because he wanted to see me every day_.’ That idea came to her one too many times. It gave her hope and she was starting to believe it.

Her thought was interrupted by the sound of his throat clearing. “Do ya wanna take a shower?” Tora asked. Poppy shook her head, her cheeks turned bright pink. 

“Don’t go divin’ into that gutter, Bobby,” he teased. “There are two bathrooms here.” Tora said looking towards the guest bathroom. 

“Thanks, I just need to freshen up.” Poppy said softly, walking straight to the small bathroom.

Poppy felt refreshed after washing her face. She was sitting on the edge of the chaise, waiting for Tora to finish his shower. She tried to relieve the tightness on her neck by nodding her head up and down, turning her ears to shoulders slowly left to right when her neck cracked loudly.

“That was one hell of a crack, Bobby.” Tora said playfully. He felt fresher and cleaner after the shower.

“I think I sprained my neck. Do you want to know who caused it?” Poppy asked before continue saying, “a giant Groot!” She rolled her eyes at Tora, they both let out a laugh.

“Sorry, sweetheart. Didn’t mean to cause a commotion. Let me fix it.”

Tora walked over to sit behind her, his legs splayed out on both side of her thighs. Poppy tried to move away but he placed his large hand across her stomach and scooted her over closer to him. They were so close that she could feel hard muscles pressed against her behind.

“This uncomfortable for ya?” Tora searched for disapproval. 

When Poppy shook her head, he gathered her brown hair between her shoulder blades, put his calloused hands on the crook of her neck and began to give her a message. His hands were strong but they produced pleasant pressure. 

“No, it’s nice…,” Poppy closed her eyes, feeling heat crept over herself. 

She let out a moan unknowingly. 

Tora heard it. A fucking moan. He paused for a second but still had his hands on her shoulders. His palms covered in cold sweats, his nostrils filled with heavy breaths. He made every effort to not lose his mind. While his brain told him to keep it chivalrous, his body started to fail him. If she missed the way his shaft reacted to her, then he was a still a fucking virgin!

He tried his best to calm himself down internally and kept on massaging her upper trapezius muscle slowly yet steadily.

The earthy aromas of coffee on her clothes, the light smell of sweat on her skin and the floral fragrance on her hair drew the need to feel closer to her. He lowered his nose to her locks. He couldn’t help himself, taking a sniff of the flowery scent from her hair. 

Poppy felt a nuzzle against the back of her head; her eyes opened wide, she sat straight up. Tora realized what he’d done on a whim; he wanted to kick himself in the ass. 

Before he could say anything, Poppy turned to face him. She fixed her brown orb on his golden ones trying to find any rejection but all that she found was strong attractions between them. It felt like two powerful magnetic poles gravitating towards each other. Polar opposites in size, shape and form yet everything between them seemed to be a perfect fit.

Poppy’s eyes traced down to Tora’s lips. An urge to feel them and taste them overwhelmed her. Without a second thought, she leaned in, closed her eyes and crushed her lips on his. 

He could be the biggest problem in her life for all she cared.

Tora was stunned that Poppy made the first move but he was glad she did. He got all the answer he needed without having to ask; she was definitely interested in him.

They let their lips touched briefly before Poppy pulled away.

Despite it only being a peck, they both felt then and there that everything was completely right. Right place. Right time. Right people, just the two of them.

Tora wanted more and needed to be closer; he grabbed her waist, spun her around and cupped his hands on her face. Their bodies were up against each other, her legs straddled over his.

He stroked her lips with his thumb, lowering his head before giving her a sweet but firm kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, grazing her fingers in his long hair. They moved synchronically in a slow pace until it turned into a deep passionate kiss. One unexpected, but longed for.

Tora nibbled her lower lip gently, Poppy responded to him by sucking on his upper lip. She was surprised by his smooth soft lips. She could taste his minty breath in her mouth. 

The kept kissing until they were out of breath as an intense heat pooling between their core.

To be continued.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A REAL first date?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of, thank you to these lovely ladies for edit and beta read for me:  
> TheCurvedWritingDesk AND peanutbutterandchelly  
> Please know that I appreciate you both very much!! <3
> 
> Secondly, happy MPL day! I'm excited and sad at the same time. I'm hoping there will be more fanfics from all you talented writers to keep us occupied for the next 2 months (for us, fast passers!)
> 
> Last but not least, all characters belong to the Goddess and Mastermind aka LillyDusk. Support her on Webtoon and Patreon. Follow her on IG: lillydusk.art

Tora nibbled her lower lip gently, Poppy responded to him by sucking on his upper lip. She was surprised by his smooth soft lips. She could taste his minty breath in her mouth. 

The kept kissing until they were out of breath as an intense heat pooling between their core.

“Poppy…” Tora muttered when they paused to gasp for air.

Poppy felt bubbles grow in her stomach, the pressure building towards bursting. Suddenly a gurgling noise broke the kiss. It literally came from _her_ stomach. She remembered all she ate was just a bowl of cereal when she woke up, she was mortified.

“God damnit, Bobby. I didn’t know ya tiny little body could make so much noise,” Tora poked fun at here.

“My body can resonate plenty more sounds, Tora.” Poppy spoke with her soft voice, tossing a racy comment back at him. She had gained much more confidence in the last few minutes since their kisses.

 _‘That was ok, right? Because there’s no going back after this point.’_ Poppy thought.

“Sweetheart, ya have no idea how much I wanna find out right now,” Tora whispered in her ear. He ground his teeth, struggling to get the sentence out, all the while trying to keep things civil.

“But I think we should feed the beast in ya before it lashes out at me,” Tora continued, smirking. “Let’s go to Alice’s, my treat.” He got up, walking to his room saying he needed to grab a hat. He also needed to readjust himself warily after their spontaneous make-out sessions.

The chain of events that had taken place this evening was out of Poppy’s realm of imagination. Sure she was hoping to have a nice meal with Tora sometimes bit not an impromptu dinner and most definitely not kissing him in his house.

Tora took her hand in his as they walked out the door to the elevator. They held hand all the way to the restaurant.

*****

Poppy had never been to this part of town before. She was delighted to get to explore this mysterious little restaurant. Low tables and seat cushions sat on one side, dining tables and small wine barrels dubbed as chairs on the other. Even though it was small and cozy, the atmosphere was incredible. She couldn’t wait to try the food.

Tora knocked on the wooden table by the register, “Oi, Alice!” The wrinkly little old lady wearing a dark violet robe with fuchsia faux fur collar emerged from the kitchen behind the counter. She lowered her thick glasses that were placed on her head to the bridge of her nose. Once she saw him, she smacked him upside the head with a folding fan and they both laughed.

Tora walked over to Poppy who was giggling at the sight of ‘Crouching Tiger – Hidden Granny’* unfolding before her. “C’mon. My usual seat is upstairs,” He said putting his hand on the small of her back.

“These wooden stairs look old. You mind lead the way?” Poppy asked.

“Are ya for real? Chickenshit,” Tora made fun at her, walking ahead on the steps. The stair creaked as they went up on them. They sat down at one of the low tables by the corner.

Alice came upstairs to take their order. “Drinks? Ya want ya usual, big oaf? What about ya, darling?”

“Sake would be nice, thank you.” Poppy politely replied as Tora nodded at the gray haired lady.

“I can’t believe ya brought a juicy lamb to ya tiger den and yer just gonna what? Sip on ya green tea like a 40 year old virgin?” Alice stated, matter-of-factly, satisfied that she finally got him back. She had been waiting for revenge for years since teenage Tora had destroyed her tables and chairs when he had worked for her.

“Alice, with all due respect…” Tora’s voice trailed off, looking annoyed at the old bat.   
  
Alice left, unfazed by the big man’s words. “Remember to get the XL size one, little lady!” The voice floated from downstairs causing Poppy’s cheeks flushed in bright pink.

A few minutes later, a teenage boy brought two trays full of mouthwatering nigiri, sashimi and maki rolls for them. Tora thanked the boy as he set the food down on the table. Poppy wasn’t surprised Tora had ordered almost half of the menu; he needed healthy high calorie foods for his muscular body.

“C’mon, stop being a grump and let’s eat!” Poppy couldn’t wait to taste the food in front of her. When she took a first bite of salmon sashimi, it didn’t disappoint her.

“This is so good, Tora. But I can’t eat all of this. I feel like I put on weight if I just look at it,” she spoke, absentmindedly.

“Yer weight is fine. Is that why you started doing yoga?”

“Yes and no. Jacob likes to make fun of me and it gets kinda old,” Poppy continued. “I gained a lot of weight in college and I was always stressed out and moody especially when…” She stopped herself from saying, _‘Especially when I was dating that jerk.’_ Tora looked at her as if he knew what she meant to say but he kept listening.

“I’ve been practicing since the day Erdene took me to class with her. She got me hooked! It’s been a few years now so you can call me amateur yogi!” Poppy hoped to lighten the mood.

“Jacob and yer dickhead ex can go fuck themselves!” Tora hissed. He was upset at how those fuckers did not and could not see her worth.

“You are getting angry. It’s fine, Tora. Their opinions are their own to keep, not mine.” Poppy nonchalantly shared her thought.

“Anyway, how did you find this place?” She asked while chewing on a tempura roll, trying to change the subject.

“Alice took me in, looked after me when I was a teenager. Hung with the wrong crowd.” Tora left it at that. He didn’t want to explain how he got tangled in a gang. How he _was_ called ‘The Tiger of Ares Street.’ Those days were long gone but he was still a legend, nonetheless.

Over the course of their dinner, they learned more about each other. Poppy told him that her real name was Poppylan but she preferred to be called Poppy. They talked about their childhood and life in general. She found out that he was in foster care since birth before he was adopted when he was six years old. He had a rough start in life but he was grateful for The Balthumans even though Vincent, his adopted dad, was constantly harsh and strict on him. He told her that his Dad still had a say on what he could do and how he could live his life. On the other hand, Quincey, his brother who was Vincent’s real son, was free to do whatever he pleased.

“No one to blame. It is what it is.” He was thankful that his dad helped him out when he had frequent run-ins with the law when he was younger and dumber. He knew he made a lot of bad decisions in the past but now that he was older and wiser, he wouldn’t do the same mistakes again.

Poppy shared with him that her parents passed away when she was young and she was raised by her grandmother. She praised her Granny for teaching her how to cook and credited her Dad for taking her to boxing lessons since she was bullied for being small. Tora could relate to that, he was bullied too but for a different reason. People messed with him because he was deemed scary and dangerous. With his height, six foot three to be exact, his build and his emotionless expression, he looked very intimidating. All the ‘David’ wannabes, wanted to knock out and kill ‘Goliath’.

“One of the reasons why I became a gym junkie. I’d rather train than fight.” Tora said to her.

They talked about their favorite food, music and movies. They found out that they both liked to travel and try new things. However, what intrigued Tora most was when Poppy told him she was a sports fan. She told him her Dad loved watching all kinds of sports; boxing and soccer matches, football and basketball games while he was getting chemo in the hospital.

Poppy entertained him with the story of yoga retreat trip in Thailand that her Granny and cousins, Mirabelle and Danae, paid for as a graduation gift. She stayed at the beach resort for two weeks, practicing, meditating and eating healthy meals. “I got to meet people who have the same interest as me. It was nice to not feel out of place for once.” Poppy said, beaming.

Tora told her about his time at the famous all boys’ boarding school in the UK which was cut short by Qunicey’s mishaps. They didn’t even last a whole term before both were expelled from all the pranks they’ve pulled. “Dad was furious. It was all Princess’ fault but I had to take half the blame.” Tora said, chuckling through his words.

Even though it was unexpected to hear about their parallel life, they sympathized and related to each other, oddly but pleasantly. They enjoyed each other’s company despite the fact that they’d just met merely a month ago.

*****

Before leaving the restaurant, Poppy said goodbye, bowed to Alice and excused herself to use a restroom. The older lady patted Tora in the back, gesturing an approval. “Yer lady friend seems to be a good one for ya, kid. Bring her back to see me sometime, would ya?” Alice spoke sincerely, no more teasing or taunting tone in her voice. He nodded at her before walking out the door.

Tora stood outside of the car, smoking a cigarette. He was lost in his thought on the whirlwind escapade they both had shared earlier this evening. Poppy walked towards the car when Tora blew the smoke in her direction. She started coughing; he immediately dropped it and put it out with the sole of his shoes. “Sorry Bobby, didn’t see ya there.”

“You know, for a fitness freak and nutrition obsessed person like you, I’m surprised you like to smoke.” She said to him when he opened the door for her.

“It’s the reward system for myself. Like I have one predictable outcome in my life.” He spoke once he got inside the car.

“I mean, I know where you’re coming from. But you can always find a new reward system.” Poppy suggested. She understood him very well since she used carbs and caffeine as her rewards.

“Like this?” Tora leaned in closer to Poppy and locked his lips on hers. Their lips lingered before she pulled away.

“Well, yeah but from your girlfriend, not me.” Poppy mocked.

“Don’t have a girlfriend.” Tora said. “Would never screw around and disrespect her. I ain’t no schmuck, Poppy.” His husky voice became serious and hurtful.

They were still so close their noses almost touched. Poppy’s cheeks were flushing. Her hand moved up unknowingly to her, tucking Tora’s loose hair strands behind his ear. Then she cupped his face with her tiny hands, looking at him in the eyes and said “I just want you to know that I usually don’t kiss on a first date but I’ve bended the rule for you.”

“Would ya bend something else for me, too?” Tora teased.

“Oh my god. You are such a perv,” her face turned crimson red.

“Yer so goddamn cute, ya know that, Bobby?” Tora said with a wide grin.

*****

When they got to her apartment building, Tora walked Poppy up to her room, holding hands again.

God, he would take any human contact, any touch she allowed him.

Poppy unlocked and opened the door; he followed her inside like a lost dog before closing and locking the door behind them.

Poppy took off her shoes, hung her keys on the hook by the door and asked, “Would you like some tea?” She let out a yawn and rubbed her eyes.

“’S okay. Ya look tired, I better get going,” Tora walked closer to her, wrapped his arm around her and dropped his chin on top of her head. Poppy had her arms around his waist, her cheek rested against his chest. She could hear his heart beats like a drum.

_‘Is he excited? Nervous? He is so stinking cute!’_

“I’ll text ya when I get home.” Tora told to her. She didn’t have to ask him to do that anymore.

Poppy glanced up at him, nodded her head and smiled. “Just last night I told you I don’t want any boy problems and here I am getting on first base with you.”

“Pfft. Bobby, who says that now? What are ya, twelve?” Tora crowed as he squeezed her cheek with his thumb and forefinger.

“Ouch! That hurt!” Poppy swatted his hand playfully. “Do you really think I’m twelve?”

“Shit. No. Fuck if I’m getting into that kinda trouble,” Tora uttered.

They embraced each other a minute longer before Tora let go of a hug, grabbing her hand in his. “Lock up behind me, okay? I’ll see you tomorrow,” he kissed her on her forehead.

“I’ll get fresh brewed coffee ready for ya.” Poppy replied as she tip toed to give him a kiss on his cheek. She hesitated to let go of his hand but it was late and passed her bedtime.

Poppy locked the door after Tora left. She showered and waited for Tora to text her before she drifted off to sleep.

*Top comment from a fan with username “WildnerNESS” on MPL ep 17.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who knew Poppy is a big sports fan?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to lovely TheCurvedWritingDesk for beta read this chapter for me. Appreciate you as always =)
> 
> All characters belong to the Goddess and Mastermind aka LillyDusk. Support her on Webtoon and Patreon. Follow her on IG: lillydusk.art
> 
> Slight spoiler of Ep. 56  
> I had fun writing this chapter and if you see any sports related idioms, let me know ;p

Quincey had been calling and texting Poppy to set up time to discuss her working on his novel in person. He invited her to his condo but he hated driving after being involved in six major accidents. He relied almost solely on his personal chauffeur but sometimes he’d hitched a ride from his brother and friends. They settled on next Saturday as she didn't have to work the next day, the café was closed on Sunday. Tora offered to pick her up after work which Quincey quickly obliged.

As they stood in front of Quincey’s door, Tora told Poppy he would use the condo gym and to let him know when they were done so he could drive her home. He kissed her on the forehead, rang the doorbell and made sure Quincey was there, fully clothed. He told his younger brother to behave himself or he would skin him alive.

Poppy was in awe when she walked in. Quincey’s massive penthouse was nothing but grand, luxurious and classy. Everything was vibrant and inviting which matched his Princess personality, as similar lay out to Tora’s with high end furniture and decorations. However, this top floor condo seemed to be more welcoming than the fifty shade of grey color scheme at Tora’s. It also seemed like parties and gatherings happened a lot inside this colorful condo.

Poppy almost dropped her wine glass when she found out Quincey was in fact Q.B. Noyouko, the famous romance writer. She owned every book he’d ever written and was a big fan of his Secret Garden Series. 

A couple of hours later, Poppy found herself lying on a big comfy leather sofa, reading the manuscript with Quincey. There was a knock on his door, Quincey stepped towards the door slowly, looked through the peephole and sighed. He opened the door for Tora who was wearing a black long sleeve pullover, jeans, and a brand new pair of tennis shoes that just hit the market a few days earlier. 

“Are you here to take my editor home? We’re not done yet,” Quincey said with disapproval. 

“My buddy got me the tickets for the game tonight. I know it’s last minute but ya wanna go, Bobby?” Tora said, ignoring his brother. That was a half truth since The Balthumans was one of the main sponsors, they could get the tickets to any game anytime they wanted. Tora asked the team’s manager for tonight’s tournament since he’d found out his crush liked the team.

“Narin Nautica playoffs? Yes, I’d love to!” Poppy uttered in excitement, clasping her hands under her chin.

Tora was amused by her enthusiasm. “Stadium is about an hour from yer place. If we leave now, we could make it for the warm ups.”

“Bro, I wanna go too,” Quincey whinned.

“Sorry Quince, only got two tickets. Beside, all ya do is checking out the players,” Tora said to the blonde man who was now pouting.

“Alright. Whatever, I’ll watch it on TV. You two have fun,” Quincey said waving his hand, dismissing the other two.

“We’ll wave at you if the camera catches us, Quincey!” Poppy promised with a giggle.

*****

Tora drove Poppy to her apartment. Once they got there Tora plopped down on the sofa and played games on his phone while Poppy grabbed a new set of clothes and disappeared in the bathroom for a quick change. She walked out of the bathroom in short sleeve boat neck black t-shirt and dark jeans. She had her hair in two braids and a Narin Nautica basketball hat on. 

“I’m ready when you are,” she said to the hunk of the man who she caught staring at her.

 _‘Is there anything she doesn’t look good in?’_ Tora thought as he couldn’t take his eye off her.

*****

When they got to the stadium, Tora pulled up in the VIP parking lot which was right by the main entrance. He got out of the car and circled around to open the door for her.

“Hey Bobby, I need to smoke before we go inside. But someone told me I can get a kiss instead of smoking?” He said to her as she held the passenger door for her. He smirked at her as he was tapping on his lips with two fingers.

“You’re a bully, Tora,” Poppy said shyly but gave him a kiss on his cheek anyway. 

While they were waiting in line to get the tickets scanned, she noticed he didn’t have his hair up as usual. 

“Here, for your hair,” she said, handing him a strawberry hair tie off her wrist. 

“Thanks,” he took the tie and wrapped it around his hair in a messy half bun.

They held hands as they walked inside, the usher lead them to the courtside seats by the home team. Poppy was thrilled to be a few feet away to the court. She had never been to the game before, only to watch it on TV with her Dad. She took some pictures as Narin and the opposing team players were warming up on either side of the court and sent them to Jacob and Erdene. Jacob was envious that she practically got to sit right on the court and Erdene appreciated the athletic physique images from her friend.

The usher came back to invite them up to the suite so they could grab some complimentary appetizers and drinks before walking them back to their seats again. Tora took a can of strawberry juice and a small bag of cheesy scalloped zucchini and pecan chips while Poppy opted for cute little sandwiches and a highball glass filled with mojito. The game was about to start and the stadium was getting packed.

They were sitting so close that Poppy could hear the players and coaches calling the shots, yelling and swearing at each other. She could see every muscle flexing in each movement, feel the vibration of the ball dribbling by, she could even smell their sweat. It took her a few minutes after the game started to get into the full swing of rooting for their home team. She was clapping and cheering with all her might as Tora adoringly watched her let loose and be herself. The same usher made another round to them, making sure their refreshment needs were satisfied. Poppy ordered another glass of mojito while Tora asked for two bottles of sparkling water.

The padded chairs they sat on were average size, big enough for Poppy but a little too small for Tora. He put his arm around her chair the whole time as if he wanted to let everybody know that she was with him. Their thighs touched as they leaned against each other. They whispered in each others’ ear when they talked since it was too loud inside the arena. They did indeed look more like a couple in love than just friends hanging out.

During half time, there was a Kiss Cam showing people around the stadium kissing on the jumbotron. Poppy and Tora were laughing at those people when suddenly they saw themselves on the big screen. Stunned but wanted to keep the high spirit, Tora leaned in, tilted her hat up and spoke softly, “Give it yer best shot, sweetheart.”

Felling playful, Poppy closed her eyes and pressed her lips up against his. She parted her lips, encouraging him to fill them with his tongue. He responded as he held on to her head and rubbed her cheek. The crowd began cheering and whistling. For a second, they kissed like no one was watching.

“There’s more where that came from,” Tora said to her. Poppy’s whole body turned strawberry red.

They knew the whole arena saw them but what they didn’t know was that their kissing session was also shown on live TV!

Tora pulled out his phone from his jeans pocket after feeling the vibration. He unlocked it and saw text messages from Quincey and his buddies.

Quincey: _Honey, that was HAWT! You just gave me an idea for my next novel._

Quincey: _Kiss kiss and fall in love already?_

Quincey: _You guys looked cute on TV, by the way!_

Gyu: _Bro, I saw you! Is that the girl from the coffee shop?_

Pinky: _Big Bro, was that you or am I barking up the wrong tree?_

He chuckled at his phone as he was reading the messages.

Soon after, Poppy felt her phone buzzing nonstop; she looked at it and found nine text messages from Jacob, Erdene and her cousins. She was fixated on the game so she hadn’t checked them yet. She continued to watch the neck and neck game until she had to use the restroom. Thank goodness for VIP treatment, she didn’t have to wait for a long line. She opened the messages and started reading;

Erdene: _Damn girl, that kiss was hot!!!_

Quincey: _Ohh la la little miss editor. You forgot to wave at me!_

Qunicey: _But you guys looked sooo cute!_

Erdene: _You’ve got lots of ‘splaining to do, you little minx!!!_

Cousins in group text: _Who was that, cousin? Didn’t look like your loser ex to me_

Cousins in group text: _Why are you keeping this guy under wraps? Tell us who he is!_

Jacob: _OMG, Poppy. You kissed Le Greek God?_

Poppy got two other messages from her Granny asking how her evening was. She told her earlier that she would be at the basketball game with a friend. Her phone buzzed again, this time the messages were from Julri;

‘Who the hell was that?’

‘You hang with hot shot or something, bae?’

Gosh, how she hated the word ‘bae’ AND how dare he was still calling her that stupid word after what he’d done? She was no longer his _bae_ or his _anything_. She was single the day she discovered him cheating on her.

Julri was also trying to call her, when she didn’t answer the phone he sent her a message saying ‘Answer the phone NOW or I’ll call you all night.’

Poppy left his texts on read. She had nothing to say to him. She used the restroom and went back to her seat. Tora could sense the change of her persona so he asked if everything was ok. Poppy didn’t want to ruin the outing; she told him everything was fine but still felt the phone buzzing the rest of the game.

They waited by their seats after the game. The players of both team walked out to say hi to their friends and families. Tora greeted them with bro handshakes where they shook hands and one armed hugged.

“Hey bro, long time no see,” one of the Nautica players said to Tora.

“Yah, what’s up, man? This is Poppy, my date,” Tora introduced her proudly. The player smirked; Poppy knew he must have seen them playing ‘seven seconds in heaven’ on that large LCD screen.

“Nice to meet you. Congrats on your winning streak!” Poppy spoke confidently even though her face was turning pink.

As they were standing there catching up, Poppy felt as if she was Snow White and the Seven _Giant_ Dwarfs.

*****

“I have so much fun tonight, Tora. Thank you!” Poppy told him on the ride home.

“Glad you had fun, Bobby.” Tora smiled, showing both dimples.

By the time they got back to her apartment, it was well after midnight. Poppy unlocked the door letting both of them in. She took off her shoes as Tora stood still by the threshold.

“It’s late… Do you want to… Umm… Stay the night?” Poppy stuttered.

“Are ya sure, sweetheart?” Tora looked down at the small woman in front of him. He would never say no to her request but feared they were taking things too far, too fast.

“Well, if you want to… Don’t go diving into that gutter, Tora. I just want to cuddle with you,” Poppy’s statement calmed his nerves for some reason. 

“Just cuddling? Or do I get to steal second base too?” Tora said while toeing off his shoes. He couldn’t help but to teased her.

Poppy flippantly smacked Tora’s strong chest, “One base at a time, Mister.”

*****

Poppy turned her phone back on when they were inside her room. She had turned it off when they left the stadium. She glanced at it and saw twenty four missed calls and ten messages from Julri. She let out a sigh before throwing her phone on the bed.

“I’m going to take a shower.” She told Tora as he was sitting down on the sofa.

Fifteen minutes later, Poppy walked out in a tiny white t-shirt and orange short shorts, her damp hair flowing around her shoulders. Tora’s eyes grew big as well as his manhood. He swore this little lady looked cute and sexy in everything she put on.

“Yer phone keeps buzzing, Bobby,” Tora told her while he was still playing games on his phone.

Poppy looked weary and disgusted as she knew who had been calling.

“My ex… Has been calling me…” She said, sighing in annoyance.

Tora paused the game giving Poppy his full attention. “Ya want me to talk to him?” he asked in concerned.

Just then the phone buzzed again. Poppy finally answered it, wanting the incessant buzzing to end.

“What do you want?” Poppy snarled as she plopped down on the seat next to Tora.

“Who the hell was that, Poppy? You’ve been avoiding me cause of him?” Julri crackled.

“Fudge off, Julri. I left you the day I saw you with that dirty blonde bimbo!” Poppy blared at the phone.

“Oh no. You don’t talk to me like that. Is he there with you? Is that why you’re saying this to me?” Julri barked back.

“He is and you know what, it's over. We’re over!” Poppy’s voice was dry but loud and harsh.

“Nah, bitch. It is when I say it is.” Julri yelled noisily. Tora could hear it from the phone.

Tora had enough of the screaming match. He didn’t want her dirtbag ex ruining a nice evening. Poppy was breathing heavily, her body shaking furiously. She didn’t know what else to say so she just kept quiet. She was surprised she didn’t shed any tears during the spat.

Tora mouthed to Poppy, “I’ll take care of it.”

He grabbed his phone, typed in ‘Moaning’ on YTube’s search bar and chose the longest video he found. He turned on the speaker on his device, putting it next to hers before pressing a play button. When the woman’s moaning sound cried out, Poppy and Tora looked at each other and started giggling. He put his finger on her lips; she grabbed it and held on like her life depended on it. They both could hear the profanity muffled from the other end. Julri had finally had enough and hung up after five minutes of the malicious prank.

“THAT was so funny! My night just keeps getting better and better,” Poppy was laughing so hard she cried.

“I can turn it into the best night for ya, sweetheart,” Tora swung his arm around her shoulder and spoke with a mischievous grin.

“Oh god, Tora. Go take a cold shower! I left a clean towel and an extra toothbrush for you by the sink,” Poppy shrieked, following by a blushful laugh. He flashed his dimples at her before getting up and making his way down the hallway.

“His ass is getting a fucking air horn next time he calls,” he said before disappearing in the bathroom.

Poppy was brushing her hair on the sofa when Tora walked out with the same pair of jeans he wore all day.

_Just_ a pair of jeans.

She gaped at him; her eyes as wide as saucers, her cheeks turning scarlet red, her mouth hung open as she saw him half naked. Seeing his bare chest made her heart fluster; all the blood rushed through her arteries especially to her face and between her legs. His colorful tattoos on his arms blended artistically upward to his strong chest.

“Here, try these on,” Her voice shook as she handing Tora a folded navy pair of pants. He unfolded it and saw a pair of long cotton pants like with a boxy waistline and very low inseam. There was no zipper, button or clasp to keep them on tightly.

“What are these?” Tora asked, holding the thin cloth up with a puzzled look. “They look like fucking harem pants without the elastic waistband.”

“They’re Thai fisherman’s pants. We wore them at the retreat. They’re very comfortable,” Poppy explained.

Tora was hesitant to try them on. He didn’t know how to make them secure on his midriff. He also didn’t want to think that she bought them for her ex. Maybe these were his? Maybe he used to wear them around her too?

 _‘What the fuck is wrong with me?’_ Tora internally asked his doubtful self.

As if she could read his mind, Poppy told him that the pants were hers but she didn’t wear them a lot since they were way too long for her.

He went back to the bathroom to change into the baggy pants and walked out holding them around the waist, struggling to keep them on.

Poppy chuckled at him, “Come here, let me tie them for you.” She said as Tora made his way towards her.

She told him to hold the pants on his stomach. She then reached to grab the excess cloth from the back but her arms were so damn short, she had to lean closer to him making her ample breasts press on his torso. She paused and glanced up only to see Tora’s eyes trained thoughtlessly on the ceiling; his jaw clenched, his cheeks flushed. She grinned to herself, _‘he is so out of my league,’_ she thought as she double-tied the fabric around his waist below his belly button, making a small knot.

Poppy stepped back and took in the sight of the attractive man in front of her as though he were her masterpiece. “I think they look nice on you!” she said, gleefully.

Tora moved his feet towards her, lowering his head closer to her ear before he casually replied, “I think you’d look nice on me.”

“What about under you?” Poppy blurted out, obviously not thinking clearly. “Whoops…”

To be continued.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poppy – Morning breath  
> Tora – Morning wood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First and foremost: TheCurvedWritingDesk, thank you sooo much for editing and beta-reading this chapter for me. Your support is greatly appreciated and I am forever grateful! 💕
> 
> All characters belong to the Goddess and Mastermind aka LillyDusk. Support her on Webtoon and Patreon. Follow her on IG: lillydusk.art
> 
> The last chapter I updated was over a month ago. It's been too long and I apologize for that. I've been playing around with other ficlettes lol  
> Anyway, I went back and made some changes in a few chapters, nothing major though.
> 
> In case anyone forgot, here's the recap...  
> Tora: Go back and read it if ya don't remember.  
> Poppy: Long story short - He took me to the basketball game, we kissed on KissCam and he was staying the night. That's all...

Poppy stepped back and took in the sight of the attractive man in front of her as though he were her masterpiece. “I think they look nice on you!” she said, gleefully.

Tora moved his feet towards her, lowering his head closer to her ear before he casually replied, “I think you’d look nice on me.”

“What about under you?” Poppy blurted out, obviously not thinking clearly. “Whoops…”

Poppy covered her mouth with both hands. Tora reached over to hold her wrists and peeled them off her face. They stood still, staring at each other in awkward silence. Low lighting emanated from the lamp atop the nightstand by her small bed illuminating a smirk from one of them.

Tora cleared his throat. “Where do ya want me to sleep, Bobby?” He asked, grinning. He tried to lighten the mood and break the sexual tension. Poppy bit her lip, looking down at her feet.

“Yer bed and sofa are as tiny as ya,” he continued.

Poppy looked up at the tall man, the rose pink color spread across her face and neck. “I’m thinking we can sleep on the floor. We’ll get the pillows and lie down on the comforter. Pretend like we’re camping?” She spoke without pausing. She tried to sound cool and calm but her heart was beating fast in her chest.

“Ya have all this planned out?” He smirked, amused at her statement and question.

“Obviously I didn’t think it through,” she let out a nervous giggled. “Are you okay with this?”

Tora caressed her cheeks in his hands, “sweetheart, are _you_ okay with this?”

Poppy nodded. Tora let go of her cheeks to move the low table closer to the balcony door, making more space. They grabbed the comforter and pillows from her bed and set them on the floor. Poppy brought a throw blanket from her couch before sitting down on the soft fabric. Tora sat across from her, took her hands in his and looked at her in the eyes, “ya know I won’t make ya do anything ya don’t want to, right Bobby?”

“I know, Tora, thank you. But I want to do this. I want to cuddle with you,” she told him. Her voice sounded sweetly and firmly. She squeezed his hands and he took it as another assurance that she was fine with him staying the night with her.

They both lay down facing each other. Since the comforter was only big enough to cover a full size bed, they didn’t have much room so their bodies were very close. Poppy pulled the throw blanket up to cover herself and Tora’s bare chest.

“You shouldn’t lie around so scantily clad. You might catch a cold,” she told him but she did what she did mostly for the sake of herself.

 _‘He’s not a piece of meat. He’s not a piece of meat. He’s not a piece of meat.’_ Poppy chanted loudly in her head.

“Are ya feeling aroused by me?” Tora grinned. He couldn’t help teasing her as he let her finish pulling the blanket up to her chin.

“What if I am?” she muttered under her breath.

Tora’s eyes grew wide; one eyebrow rose up as he took in what she’d said.

_‘Jesus fucking Christ. This little five foot nothing woman is going to be the death of me.’_

“Then it’s mutual, sweetheart,” he whispered. Poppy felt his warm breath grazing her ear causing a chill down her spine.

Tora reached his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. She could feel his rigid cock pressing against her thigh.

“Umm… Tora, there’s something in your pants that’s poking me,” Poppy murmured.

She knew damn well what it was. She wasn’t that naïve nor innocent – just a little inexperienced. She just didn’t trust herself, afraid she would get carried away.

“Ignore it,” he said, holding on to her tighter.

“But it’s uncomfortable…” She pleaded.

Tora shifted his body and stuffed an extra pillow between them. “Geez, woman. Come back here,” he said, enveloping his arm around her body. His hand found its way to her back, stroking it gently.

Poppy giggled and wiggled herself closer to him, placing her cold hand on his warm cheek.

“I hope I’m not giving you a mixed signal. I’m not ready for more than what we’ve been doing, not just yet,” she said, looking at him straight in the eye.

“We’ll do this at ya own pace, sweetheart. One step at a time. I’ll follow your lead, promise.” Tora had been an alpha male his whole life but for an unexplainable reason, he would let her lead the path they took, he would submit to her.

Poppy was stunned; she admired his honesty and sincerity. She needed to let him know that she appreciated every word he said. She tilted her face towards his, closing her eyes and kissed his lips. His hand that was on her back slide up to the back of her head making the kiss firm as they molded their lips together. He slipped the other arm underneath her body, holding onto her waist. Poppy caressed her hand from his cheek into his hair and held it in her fist. Their tongues rolled with each other inside of their mouth as they deepened their passionate kiss.

“Thank you, Tora,” Poppy said as she broke away for a breather. She felt dizzy from all the blood rushing down her core.

“No, thank _you_.” Tora smirked, holding her in his arms. He was also thankful for the soft barrier between them. “Good night Bobby,” he told her, kissing on her forehead.

“Good night,” Poppy whispered, closing her heavy eyelids.

*****

Tora blinked his eyes open as the morning sun shone through the balcony door. Even though he was an early bird, he was not a fan of seeing bright light first thing in the morning. He would order blackout curtains to cover the damn glass door and would install them for her. He rubbed his eyes with one hand and panicked when he couldn’t feel the other hand. He looked down and found Poppy snuggled close to him, tucking and holding onto it between her knees. Her hair spread over his chest, drools leaking through her mouth yet she still looked so fucking beautiful.

“Morning, sweetheart,” Tora said to her when he felt her head moved across his torso.

“Morning…” Poppy greeted, rubbing her eyes. “How was your sleep last night?” She asked, sitting up side way facing him, stretching her arms up in the air.

He turned to her, “as good as an old hardwood floor had to offer.”

“I’m sorry but we can do this again at your place next time?” She winced right after the last word left her mouth. Lately she found herself blurted out stupid remarks whenever she was around him.

_‘Ugh Poppy… You need to start thinking with your head not your heart.’_

“Ya wanna come over tonight? So ya don’t have to get up early tomorrow morning?” Tora inquired absentmindedly. He wanted to spend as much time as he could with her.

Seeing the hesitation on her face, he stammered, “shit, sorry Bobby. I didn’t mean to rush ya.”

“Actually, that’s a good idea! Your condo is way closer to my work and I could use the extra couple minutes of sleep,” Poppy let out a big yawn making Tora followed the suit.

“Coffee?” She asked, smoothing her tangled hair, putting it in a bun.

“Yah, but first…” he reached his hands out to wrap around her waist, drew her down on top of him and teasingly puckered his lips up for a kiss.

Poppy pressed her lips together, shook her head and mumbled, “Um um. Morning breath!” She shielded his mouth with both her hands without realizing that she was straddling him. He looked up at the lady above him; his cock twitched at a sight of her ample breasts poking through her t-shirt, he wanted to touch them and feel them in his hands. But his hands were already on her round butt so he squeezed those instead; high yelps from her making both of them laugh.

Poppy lowered her face to give him a quick peck on the cheek before she got up and ran into the bathroom leaving Tora beaming ear to ear. He stood up and found that the knot on his fisherman’s pants was still intact. He grew to like how comfortable and light the fabric was. Looking around for his clothes, he found his jeans and shirt folded neatly atop the bed. Poppy left them there after she woke up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Walking out in a purple racer back tank top and black yoga pants, Poppy was fixing her hair into a braid. “I’m going to make coffee and pack an overnight bag,” she said, strolling towards the kitchen.

Tora followed her like a lost puppy, his outfit from the night before in his hands. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her stomach; he pressed his solid body against her and planted a kiss behind her ear. Poppy angled her head to the other side, her eyes closed as she felt wet kisses trailing down her neck. The sound of the last drop of water boiling through the coffee machine broke their intimacy. Poppy opened her eyes, reaching for the glass carafe and poured hot liquid into two mugs. Tora grunted and let go his arms grabbing a mug of black coffee. He took a sip before heading to the bathroom to get change.

Poppy felt energized and awake after having liquid energy sweetened with vanilla creamer. She walked around her apartment, gathering things she needed for their sleepover. She packed her work uniform, extra gym clothes and pajamas – long sleeves and pants set, along with underwear and a small toiletries bag. She was a pro at packing and she also didn’t have much to bring anyway.

“Ready to go?” Tora asked, holding his hand out to her.

Poppy nodded, giving him the heavier tote bag, a yoga mat bag slung over her shoulder, another small purse in her hand. She locked the door and walked down stairs to his car, hand in hand. They stopped by a taqueria down the street for breakfast. Tora scoff down a plate of Chilaquiles and tossed down last bit of horchata the same time Poppy finished her breakfast tacos. She was in awe to see an heir of one of the richest families in town enjoying a meal at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant with her.

“Food was good. I liked it a lot,” Tora said during the drive to his place.

“Oh I know. You polished off their plate. I don’t think they need to clean it,” she quipped, smiling brightly at him.

When they get to the penthouse, Tora opened the door and found Quincey passed out on his sofa. 

“Fuck, Quince. Get up, man!” Tora tapped on his brother’s head, trying to wake him up. 

“You didn’t come home last night. I was worried,” Quincey ruffled his hair, rearranging it. “I got home at six this morning but didn’t see your car. Where have you...” The blonde man got up and stopped mid sentence when he saw a tiny brunette standing next to his brother who was still in yesterday’s clothing. 

“Poppy? Oh my god! I knew it! You two. Are you for real?” Quincey gasped dramatically, placing one hand over his heart and covered his mouth with the other.

“It’s not what you think, Quincey,” Poppy tried to explain. Quincey glanced at her suspiciously, his closed lips turned upward in a playful smile.

“Um Hm,” he acknowledged her statement, yet unsure of the credibility. Walking towards Tora, he dabbed fake tears from his eyes, “I’m so proud of you, honey!” The younger brother said, cupping his hand on the taller man’s shoulder.

He knew Tora had never stayed the night with any woman. His brother had fucked plenty of them – mostly one night stands and even had a serious relationship once yet he had never shared a bed with her either.

“Shut up and get outta here, shithead!” Tora’s face turned a shade darker. He chased the Princess out of his residence, slamming and double locking the door after him.

“You guys are so cute. When I first met you, I thought you guys were a thing,” she revealed her first impression when she saw the brothers together.

“Ya know damn well I ain’t batting for the other team, Bobby. Quince, on the other hand, loves playing both ways,” he said with a straight face.

“Pfft…” Poppy couldn’t hold her laughter. They way Tora talked about his brother was full of love and acception; the brotherly bond was strong between these two.

“What do ya wanna do today, Bobby?” Tora asked as he unscrewed the cap of sparkling water before handing it to her.

“I want to go to yoga class this afternoon, one of my favorite instructors, Tricia, is teaching. What about you?”

Even though there was a private gym nestled on a floor between his and Quincey’s penthouse. It was fully equipped with top of the line exercise machines, a swimming pool and a tradition steam sauna. “I’ll go with you,” he said to her.

*****

Poppy was waiting for Tora by the front desk after she was done with her class. The gym merchandise and small supplies neatly displayed on the low glass shelves. Something caught her eye while she was browsing through. She asked the clerk to see them and paid for them the same time Tora walked over to her.

“Don’t read too much into it, okay? I bought you this,” she babbled as she handed him a black silicone band when they were lounging on the oversized sofas.

“They sell them at the gym. I got one for myself, too!” She showed him a smaller pink band in a clear plastic bag.

“Thanks, sweetheart,” Tora said to her, kissing on the side of her head. He slid the titanium ring off his middle finger and put the soft band on instead. “It’ll be easier to lift weights with this on,” he said, raising his big hand in front of them. Poppy was glad that he liked it and didn’t think anything of it when in fact Tora’s heart was smashing inside his chest, stirring up warm and fuzzy feelings he never knew he could felt. 

They hung out, watched movies and chichatted rest of the day. Poppy had made herself comfortable as she leaned on Tora’s shoulder; his arm snaked around her back, his hand atop her thigh. He noticed that he hadn’t smoked since he woke up that morning. He seemed to be craving something else instead, something - more like someone - that was in the form of a sweet and intoxicating little lady who apparently sitting down next to him.

Quincey called to invite them over for dinner. The dramatic man wanted to celebrate and congratulate them on becoming a couple. Although Poppy and Tora hadn’t talked about their relationship yet they didn’t correct the other man either.

As soon as they walked into the Princess’ penthouse, Quincey immediately noticed their matching rings. “Don’t you think you’re taking things too far, too fast?” Quincey whispered to Tora’s ear.

“Drop it or we’re leaving,” Tora made it known to his brother that he was keen to talk about it. He was glad he could hide part of his flushed face under the black hat he was wearing.

“I’m just saying,” the blonde man snarled. He turned to Poppy and said in his soft voice, “have a seat honey, dinner is ready!”

Quincey had ordered gourmet cheesy white pizza for Poppy and him and extra BBQ chicken wings for Tora. Being the Princess that he was, he insisted on pairing the food with wine which in Poppy’s surprise, tasted incredible with the Chardonnay. Poppy and Quincey were drinking chilled alcohol while Tora chose to have his usual strawberry juice.

The conversation was focused on Quincey’s manuscript which Tora was glad his brother didn’t get on his ass about Poppy and him. All it took to reel the blonde man’s attention away from the subject was to ask about his novels. Since the beta reading session was cut short the night before, Poppy promised to finish the rest on Wednesday, her day off.

When dinner was done, they said good bye to the host and walked two floors down to Tora’s. They stopped by at the private gym as Tora wanted to show her; he told her she could use it anytime she wanted which impressed Poppy yet again.

Once they got inside the penthouse, Poppy’s face blushed as she recalled Quincey’s shit eating grin after she told him that she wasn’t going home tonight. “Take good care of my editor, Boo boo. I can’t afford to find a new one if you break her,” the flamboyant man yelled at them in the hallway.

“Wanna take a shower?” Tora’s husky voice made Poppy jump.

“Umm, yes. I’ll use the guest bathroom,” she said, collecting her tote bag on the floor by the door.

“Yer not a guest anymore, Bobby. Ya can use mine,” he strode to her, taking the bag out of her hand.

“Oh,” a sound of half confusion and realization left her mouth.

“Ya drunk?” he asked, wanting to make sure the alcohol wouldn’t cloud her judgment.

“No sir,” she laughed, playfully straightening her body, puffing up her chest.

“Good,” Tora said; holding her wrist, leading her into his master bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The day I started writing this chapter was the day 3 people asked about an update on this fic.  
> Three people might not be a lot but I was surprised there were someone out there interest in my story.  
> To the 3 people - you know who you are, you hold a special place in my heart. Front row of this shit show, ladies! 💕
> 
> Thank you for reading and please let me know what you think, I love reading your comment!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poppy is getting Bold and Tora is loving it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, THANK YOU to 3 most important ladies who made this chapter possible: TheCurvedWritingDesk, peanutbutterandchelly and my bestie (who spent time after her bible study) who beta read and edited for me. Forever grateful for your love and support! 💕
> 
> All characters belong to the Goddess and Mastermind aka LillyDusk. Support her on Webtoon and Patreon. Follow her on IG: lillydusk.art
> 
> With the heavy shit that’s been going on in the world AND the angst and anticipation from other fics 😅, may I present to you the fluffiness of all fluff! I hope your day/night is going well. As always, let me know what you think. I LOVE hearing your feedback!

“Ya drunk?” he asked, wanting to make sure the alcohol wouldn’t cloud her judgment.

“No sir,” she laughed, playfully straightening her body, puffing up her chest.

“Good,” Tora said; holding her wrist, leading her into his master bedroom.

Once they made their way inside the big room, Poppy was greeted with a panorama view of Narin at night. The neon lights of the city that never sleeps below her met with an open dark sky above. Large floor to ceiling windows draped with sheer curtains that were pair with the motorized slate grey shutters. All of the bedroom walls were painted in an off white color; small recessed lighting above the bed set the calm and relaxing ambience of the room. A small glass door leading to the continuous balcony from the living area could be seen on the right side of the window.

Tora dropped the tote bag on the upholstered bench at the end of the bed. Poppy stood still next to him; twirling her fingers on the hem of her shirt, her other hand was still being held in his. 

“Bathroom’s over there,” he said, cocking his head to the left.

Poppy always wondered about the reason behind master bathrooms lacking a door. She had seen it on home improvement shows on TV and chuckled at it. However, now that she had seen it in real life, she couldn’t help but to wonder out loud.

“There… There’s no door,” she stuttered as she followed his gaze.

“Don’t worry ‘bout it. I’ll give ya privacy,” he said to her.

Poppy nodded and smiled. She trusted him. “Your bedroom is as big as my whole apartment! And I’ve never seen a bed this big!” Poppy commented sheepishly.

“California king. I got a big…” Tora paused, grinning. 

“Gahhh…!!!” She shrieked, covering her ears.

He snorted at her reaction. “Big body, Bobby. Long legs, remember?” He smirked before leading the way to the bathroom and grabbing an extra towel from the cabinet in the walk-in closet. Poppy took her pajamas and small toiletries bag and followed him inside the bathroom. He handed her the soft, fluffy towel and left the room.

The bathroom was as grand as the rest of his residence. Double sink sat atop the pale grey granite countertop that was mounted on the wall with an oversized rectangle mirror above them. A large whirlpool bathtub sat to the right of the room, a walk in shower big enough to fit two people was placed next to it.

Pulling the glass door opened, Poppy stepped inside and saw a rectangular stainless steel shower head affixed on the ceiling. An interesting looking hydro system panel was mounted on the tiled wall. She would ask Tora how to use all these features next time. The thought of next time made her blush; she sure hoped there would be one though! For now, she was just going to try the rainforest shower head above her. She turned on the water, adjusted it to the right temperature and she wasn’t disappointed. It did feel like playing in the rain in Moonbright with her cousins when she was young.

Walking out of bathroom, Poppy saw Tora was sitting on the end-of-bed- bench. He was checking his work schedule and emails on his phone. All of the shutters had been rolled down, giving them more privacy. 

“I’m done with my shower, Tora,” Poppy’s sweet voice sang next to him.

He looked up and couldn’t hold in a chuckle. Poppy was wearing a cream long sleeve pajama shirt with the words ‘Cookies-n-creme make the wildest dream,’ and two smiling vanilla stuffed chocolate cookies holding hands underneath the printed letters.

“Cute shirt,” he teased.

“Cute hat!’ she said, gesturing to the black hat he’d worn to dinner at Quincey’s penthouse.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. What time ya have to be up tomorrow?”

“I usually get up at 4:15 to catch the first bus at 4:45. But since your condo is so close to the café, I think 5 AM should be okay,” Poppy said as she set the alarm on her phone.

Tora listened to her telling him as if it was no big deal. The image of his little Bobby walking to the bus stop that early in the morning by herself made his heartstrings twist. He could and would buy her a car or lend her money to buy a car; they could go pick it out after work tomorrow. 

Poppy caught on to the look on his face, she sighed and said “It’s okay, Tora. I need to figure things out myself. You don’t have to act like a knight in shining armor and rescue me.”

“Ain’t have a fuckin’ white horse, sweetheart. But I do have a car so I can drive ya to work in the morning,” his voice sounded harsh. He wasn’t pissed at her but pissed at the situation she was in.

“Watch your potty mouth, mister. I can’t believe you work at the school, of all places.” Poppy sarcastically replied. 

“I’ll show ya what my dirty mouth can do,” he smiled, the corners of his lips turned upward as he winked at her. She always made it too easy for him to tease her.

“Ha-Ha you’re funny. Go take a shower!” She playfully ordered, pointing him towards the archway. When he disappeared into the door-less washroom, Poppy plopped herself down on the high thread count sheets and covered herself with a warm comforter. The soft but firm mattress molded her body. She knew she would get a good night sleep after a nice shower and lying in a comfy bed. 

She sat in the bed and was talking to her Granny on the phone when Tora walked out wearing a grey tank top and black shorts. Holy fudge sundae, she was surprised to see a tiger tattoo on his leg _. ‘How fitting!’_ She was curious of how big this art piece was made her face flushed. Her eyes grew wide and kept following him in every direction he walked, openly gawking at him. She kept telling the older woman about her day omitting the fact that she was about to share a bed with a handsome man for the second night in a row. 

Tora joined her in bed a short time after she hung up the phone. “How’s yer Granny?” He asked as they both lay underneath the quilted blanket.

“She’s okay. She said she misses me and I miss her, too! I haven’t gone back to visit her since…” Poppy paused and swallowed a lump in her throat. “Well, it’s been a few weeks.” She didn’t want to mention the last time she saw her grandmother was when she walked in on Julri sucking his side chick’s face.

Tora knew what she meant to say, she had told him about the cheating jerk right after the break up. He rounded his arm under her shoulder and pulled her close. “I can drive ya to see yer Granny, if ya want. Just tell me when ya wanna go see her, alright?”

“Really? Thank you, Tora. I’ll let you know after checking my schedule.” She said, grateful for his offer.

“’Course, sweetheart. Anything for ya,” he replied with sincerity in his voice, to let her know that he really meant it.

Poppy knew right after their first kiss that she wanted to be with him. The more she got to know him, the more she wanted to give him everything and anything. Yet he reassured her that he will follow her lead and they’d do it at her pace. Gosh, could he be any sweeter? 

She averted her gaze to look at the tall man beside her. All she saw was a kind, caring and patient person with a heart of gold despite the impression he gave and an expression, or lack thereof, from him.

Did she also mention that he was so fudging hot and handsome on top of all of that? 

_‘On top, huh?’_ \- At her thought, she rolled herself on top of him; her breasts pressed against his chest, her feet on the mattress by his shins. She pushed his damp hair off his face and tucked loose strands behind his ears. Tora smirked at her boldness, showing the dimples she called ‘obscene.’ Poppy didn’t seem to care at the moment as she had only one thing on her mind. A combination of the last bit of alcohol that kept her relaxed and boosted her courage along with the Princess’ manuscript she read the day before led her to a mission she needed to complete. 

Suddenly, she was nuzzling his neck with her nose and Tora tilted his head to the other side allowing her to give him open-mouthed kisses along the nape of his neck. One of his hands wrapped tight on her lower back, the other woven in her brown locks. Poppy traced wet kisses down to his collarbone and moved up to the front of his neck. Tora hummed and lifted his chin up; Poppy could feel the vibration of the vocal cord on her lips. She made her way to the right side of his column as she started sucking the skin with her mouth and licking it with her tongue. She could feel his rapid pulse when she bit gently then she blew warm air on it and licked it again to sooth the blemish. The combined sensations almost sent Tora over the edge and exploded into pieces.

They both were panting as Poppy sat up, straddling him. She seemed very satisfied with her mission, the dark spot that looked like a strawberry birthmark plastering on Tora’s neck. The only difference was that he wasn’t born with it.

“Not that I’m complaining but what was that for, sweetheart?” He grinned, touching his tingling skin where it was sticky and wet. 

“Well, I just wanted to say thank you and umm… freaking Qunicey’s manuscript,” she gingerly replied and moved herself to sit on the mattress.

Tora sat up half way, holding his weight on one elbow. “Okay, Bobby. Ya had enough fun for tonight. Let’s get ya to sleep,” he said as he fluffed the pillow for her. 

“Good night, you prude.” Poppy giggled, flopping her head down.

It took Poppy a few deep breaths with some tossing and turning before she ended up nodding off on her side, facing away from him. However, it took a long while for Tora to settle down. He rested one arm over his forehead; thanking God that Poppy was very short so she was sitting on his abs instead of his rock solid cock. He was still trying to process the bout that just happened. Whatever came over his Bobby, he wanted more but he would follow her lead as he promised her earlier. He’d been having blue balls since last night; it was hard to change them back to their natural color. He thought about rubbing off while he was taking a shower but couldn’t bring himself to do it when Poppy was sitting in his bed only separated by the walls and archway. It made ‘things’ even harder now that he had Poppy sleeping next to him again. 

He never brought any woman to his bed; it was a weird quirk of his. He always went to their place, hotel, or anywhere else but his house. He liked knowing that he could leave as soon as their transactions were done. He didn’t want to hang around, to snuggle or whatever shit people did after sex. Yet it was different with Poppy; he wanted to cuddle with her, lay next to her and wanted her to be the first thing he saw when he woke up.

Sighing to himself, he inched closer to the first woman whom he’d ever shared a bed with. He wrapped his arm around her belly and scooted himself closer to her, spooning her. The sweet smell of the vanilla and lavender lotion soothed his nervous soul and helped him fall deep asleep.

*****

The phone alarm went off at 5 in the morning. Tora woke up and found an empty spot next to him. He rubbed his eyes and looked towards the bathroom, expecting to see some light there but it was dark and quiet. He got up, walked to the living room and saw Poppy on a couch by the table lamp, holding Quincey’s manuscript which was filled with red circles, lines and other notes in red ink.

“Morning, sweetheart,” Tora greeted, moving to sit next to her. He chuckled when he saw Poppy’s handwriting all over the paper.

Poppy smiled at him. “Morning! I didn’t want to wake you up so I got ready in the other bathroom.” 

Tora smiled back. “I’ll drive ya home later today. Wanna wait here after ya get off work? I’ll text ya a code to get in,” he said, kissing the side of her head.

Poppy nodded, “thanks, Tora. That’d be great! Ready to go?” She asked as she put everything back in her tote bag. Tora got up; holding his hand out and she took it to pull herself on her feet. 

The drive to the coffee shop was shorter than the time they rode the elevator down to the underground garage and got in the car. Tora parked his car right in front of the café then got out and opened the door for her. The light in the store was still dimmed, Poppy was sure none of her coworkers had shown up yet. She gave him a peck on the cheek and skipped towards her workplace. Tora waited until she got inside safely before he slipped back in the driver’s seat, grinned at himself and drove back to his condo. 

Erdene walked in a few minutes after Poppy started prepping for the day. She looked confusedly at her friend.

“Morning, Pops. How did you get here earlier than me?” She asked as she washed her hands before turning to fill up small carafes with milk and half and half.

“Tora drove me.” Poppy didn’t want to lie to her friend but didn’t want to tell the whole truth either.

Erdene turned her head so fast that her lilac ponytail whipped her face, “Who? What? Tora as in your highness’s brother?” 

“Yes, Dene. Tora, Quincey’s brother. Name one other Tora you know,” Poppy wasn’t mad at her friend but she didn’t want to be grilled this early. And to make it worse, before she even consumed an appropriate dose of caffeine.

“Don’t get cheeky with me, you little minx! So he picked you up from your apartment and drove you here? Didn’t think of him as a romantic fool,” her tall friend asked, still busying herself with the morning preparation.

Before Poppy could think of a witty comeback, Jacob walked in with a sleepy look on his face. “Morning ladies. Let’s take a shot!” He announced, covering his yawn and staggering his feet to the espresso machines. He pulled three single shots for the three of them, handed his coworkers the paper cups filled with strong coffee. “Cheers to a good day,” he sang. They tapped the cup and chugged the much needed liquid crack in one gulp.

On most mornings, the two good looking brothers would walk through the Narin Coffee Shop’s door at 7:30 to get their breakfast to-go. There were some female customers that had caught onto the brothers’ routine already waiting inside. Some just wanted a glimpse of the Balthuman boys and some were brave enough to make small talk which they usually didn’t mind. But their least favorite was when thirsty women brazenly asked for their phone number, which Tora always politely declined.

Quincey walked in wearing sunglasses and looked like he was still drunk. “Good morning, lovlies! May I have my usual, please?” 

_‘He must be hangover from the rest of the Chardonnay we had at dinner.’_ Poppy thought.

“You got it, Quincey!” Poppy said cheerily. She wrote the drink order on the cup, passed it on to the bar before turning to fill another large cup with freshly brewed black coffee. Both Tora and Poppy were glad that the human loud speaker didn’t mention the slumber party the night before. 

Tora smirked at Poppy as she handed him a cup, her face flushed as his fingers brushed hers. Before they left the store, Tora turned and tapped his lips with his fingers, looking right at Poppy as they made their way back to the car.

The exchange didn’t escape Erdene’s watchful eyes. 

Right after the brothers were gone, the skinny woman glided over to her shorter friend, “The hell was that?” Erdene harped. 

“What..?” Poppy played coy, keeping her eyes on the cash register because she knew she couldn’t hide the truth escaping through her big brown orbs.

“I saw it, bitch. Spill. Now.” Erdene looked at her dumbfounded.

Poppy sighed. “It’s nothing,” she whispered. 

“What do you mean, it’s nothing? He blew you a kiss and you guys have freaking matching rings on. You think I didn’t see that?!’ Erdene hissed. “Ohh myy godd, Poppyyy! Are you two seeing each other? Tell me you are!” Erdene yelled excitedly.

Poppy nodded, her face turned pink. She wasn’t exactly sure what stage of the relationship they were on. Whatever they were to each other, she was happy about it. 

“I knew it! I called it since the first time I saw him looking at you, Pops. I’m so happy for you!” Erdene gave her a hug. She hugged back and replied, “Thanks, Dene. I’m happy about it, too!”

“I bet he has you wrapped around his thick… big…” Erdene paused and squinted at Poppy gasping before continued, “big thumb, you dirty minded bitch…” She looked back at her busty friend mischievously, “so you forked him already?” 

Poppy took a deep breath before playfully answered, “what the heck? No! We only spooned…” 

Erdene’s eyes widened, surprised at her friend’s boldness. “Tiger stripe’s rubbed off on you, huh? She poked at her friend’s side causing them to bust out in laughter.

*****

During the drive back to the academy, Quincey looked more human after he took a few sips of his handcrafted coffee. He turned to Tora and asked, “So you and Poppy are together now?”

“Keep yer mouth shut,” the older brother replied, monotonously.

“I see that stork bite on your damn neck, you Neanderthal!” The blonde man poked on the collar of the dress shirt his brother was wearing. Tora swat Quincey’s invasive finger away. Even though he had it buttoned up all the way to conceal his neck, he still couldn’t hide it from the annoying man.

“I’m being serious. You might be confusing a lovely girl, Tora. You can’t have slumber parties and expect her to mean nothing to you, honey. I’ve never seen you head over heels over anyone until you met her.” The princess let out a long exaggerating sigh. “Did I mention the matching rings?”

“It doesn’t mean anything, Quince. She bought them ‘cause they were on sale.” Tora was about done with the passenger in his car.

“Riiiight, and she thought of YOU when she bought them. I like both of you, well, definitely Poppy more but I don’t want both of you to get hurt. You need to tell her how you feel,” Quincey suggested, hoping that the tight-lipped man would follow through. Tora seemed too lost in his thoughts, not paying much attention to his brother who was having a verbal diarrhea babbling away next to him.

_‘You need to tell her how you feel.’_

To be continued…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously! Can someone explain to me why there’s no door in master bathroom?
> 
> Oh and I’m on Instagram now: @oneandonlytako 😊


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You get a MF fluff! You get a MF fluff! You get a MF fluff!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all THANK YOU to TheCurvedWritingDesk and peanutbutterandchelly for your time beta reading and editing for me yet again. I have absolutely no idea how many chapters there will be but you've been riding along with me since day one. I'm so freaking grateful! Please know that I appreciate you both very much and I already sold my soul to you guys!! 💕
> 
> To the people who still read my fic, thank you from the bottom of my heart. This fic is going at the speed of a slot, y'all. BUT I have every intention to finish it before my birthday which is 6 months from now 😏 So please hang in there 
> 
> All characters (except for obvious made up ones) belong to the Goddess and Mastermind aka LillyDusk. Support her on Webtoon and Patreon. Follow her on IG: lillydusk.art

Walking back to Tora’s condo, Poppy stopped by the market that sold high end meat and cheese along with organic fruits and vegetables that were all overpriced. She thought it’d be nice to make Tora a box of charcuterie she saw online during her break. Apparently it was a huge hit now as she saw a lot of different ones on social media. She grabbed a basket at the entrance and walked through the aisles looking for the ingredients to complete her meal plan. 

After she let herself into his penthouse, she sent Tora a text message to let him know that she got in safely and that she was making them some dinner. 

A couple of hours later, she heard the door click open and the footsteps strolling towards her.

“Hello again, Miss Editor.” Quincey’s voice floated from the threshold. The sound of the door slamming shut followed soon after. 

“I’m in here,” Poppy called out from the kitchen.

She turned around to see an animated look on the blonde man’s face and an annoyed look on the dark haired man looming behind him as they walked through the hallway.

“Tora told me you were here,” Quincey smiled, briskly walking towards her.

“I didn’t tell ya, Quince. I answered yer stupid questions,” a grouchy voice came from the other man.

“Oh my, darling. What do you have there?” Quincey asked, completely ignoring his brother. 

“Umm, I saw this online and thought it looks interesting so I figured I’d make one,” Poppy happily explained. She felt a little more comfortable hearing their squabble now that she’d hung out with both men over the weekend. She was an only child and only had female cousins so she didn’t know that it was something that brothers did. Tora had explained and assured her that it was in fact very normal behavior.

“Oh là là... The charcuterie board! Are you re-creating your first date with the tiger?” Quincey wiggled his eyebrows, reminding them of their first time hanging out. It was a group outing at the tapas bar when Tora drove Poppy home for the first time that night, the rest was history. 

Tora strode behind the tiny lady and planted his feet by hers, “ya were there too Quince so that definitely didn’t count as a date.”

When Tora peered over Poppy’s shoulder, he saw an assortment of cured meat, cheese, fruits and dips arranged beautifully on a small block of wood. The presentation was amazing and everything looked delicious.

“Looks like it’s enough for two, sweetheart,” Tora said glaring at his brother. 

Quincey shot him an irritating glance. “I don’t think you can finish all that, Tora. I just wanted to say hi to my lovely editor. Don’t be too possessive! You two bed-friends have a good evening!” He said before turning his heels towards the door, making it slam yet again. 

“What was that?” Poppy snickered.

“Don’t mind him. He’s been dramatic since he was in the womb,” Tora said, shaking his head. He stepped closer behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders, rubbing them gently. “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, huh?” He bent his head down, whispering in her ear.

“Pfft. Anybody that believes that old saying must have flunked geography!” Poppy mocked, rolling her eyes at his comment.

“Damn, Bobby. Which region are we headed to, sweetheart? I prefer the south,” he smirked, moving his arms to embrace her from behind. He placed his chin on the crook of her neck and looked down towards his knees. Poppy felt warm breath on her skin; his lips almost touching her collarbone.

“I think your living room is facing east, Tora,” she offered, turning around to poke his dimple. Tora grabbed her wrist and kissed the inside of it, making Poppy blushed. “C- can you bring it to the table?”

Tora nodded and carefully carried the food to the sofa. He snapped a picture as soon as he set it down on the coffee table. A wooden cutting board filled with salami, pepperoni and prosciutto folded beautifully in the middle. A small wedge of pre-cut smoked Gouda and a triangle of Brie were placed next to mini jars of orange marmalade and hummus, round crackers and sliced French baguette. Mini bowls filled with pitstachios, almonds and pecan sat on the rim of the board. Black pitted olives, green grapes and strawberries scattered around the board. 

He sent an image to Quincey and Gyu in Quincey’s Angels group text before walking back to the kitchen to bring them drinks. He sat down next to Poppy, putting glasses of sparkling water and strawberry juice in front of them. They enjoyed the light dinner and talked about their day. Tora’s phone beeped, he took a quick look and chuckled at a message from Quincey, “You pig! Tell Poppy to make me one next time.” He relayed the message to her, making her giggled; the sound drew a huge grin on Tora’s face.

_‘Goddamn it, her laugh is contagious.’_

*****

Tora took Poppy home after dinner, as usual. They got up to Poppy’s apartment, holding hands and standing in close proximity inside her room. Poppy swung their clasped hands back and forth, bringing out smiles from both of them.

“I’ll pick ya up tomorrow morning so ya don’t have to take the bus,” Tora spoke softly.

Poppy stopped the playful motions and interlaced her fingers with his. “Don’t be silly! I don’t want to trouble you,” she said to him with an appreciative look on her face.

“Happy to. Either I pick ya up or we go pick out a car for ya,” he pressed, leaving her no room to decline his offer.

“Okay, but you don’t have to do any of that. I was fine before I met you,” she tried to reason with him.

Tora had been thinking about what his adopted brother had told him earlier. In fact, he was pondering over it all day and had come to an agreement with the flamboyant man on this one. 

_‘You need to tell her how you feel.’_

“Yeah but I care about you, Poppylan. And I want to treat my girlfriend right.” He winced right after those words left his mouth. Lately he found himself blurting out stupid remarks whenever he was around her.

“Your… What?” Poppy couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. She felt the warmth creep down from her face to her chest as she arched her eyebrows, causing her brown eyes to grow bigger.

“Listen, I’m sorry I let shit slip out like that. I should… Err… We shoulda talked about it first…” Tora stammered.

“Well, you already have nicknames for me so I guess I might as well…” Her voice trailed off.

“Might as well what?” He sounded desperate to know what she was about to say.

“I might as well beyourgirlfriend,” she mumbled under her breath.

Tora’s jaw hung low, the corner of his lips turned upward. He couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. He had to ask to make sure what she meant. “So you are saying, you are my girl?”

Poppy nodded, looking at him in the eye. Tora lunged towards her in one big step and held her tight; her face pressed against his chest. His arms wrapped firmly across her upper back and her arms enveloped around his waist. She could hear his heartbeat quicken as if there were a horse sprinting full speed to the end of the race.

 _‘No sir, you don’t have a white stallion but you ARE a freaking fuckable one.’ Poppy_ smiled at the words Erdene once referred to him.

Tora buried his nose on the top of her head, inhaling her sweet scent, he was grinning ear to ear like a fool. He squeezed her tight once more before giving her a chaste kiss on her lips and another good bye kiss on her forehead. He wasn’t sure how he made it home in one piece since he couldn’t think straight and his mind kept wandering back to her words, _‘I might as well beyourgirlfriend.’_ She was so goddamn cute when she said that. His heart was filled with joy and happiness; all from a five foot something who he finally got to call _his_ girl.

T: I’m home now. Sleep tight, sweetheart 😙

P: You too! Good night 😘😴

*****

Tora had been in a good mood for the past week and it fully showed. He didn’t have a scary looking poker face cemented in place and was able to tolerate stupid shit his brother said and did more these days. Even Gyu could feel the change of demeanor as the stoic man had been in less of a sour mood as of late.

How could he be expressionless when he had a goddamn angel as a girlfriend?

“Big Bro’s been looking all giddy lately. Did he finally get with the café girl?” Gyu whispered to Quincey one morning while they were waiting for Vincent and Tora in the conference room. He knew if his tall friend heard him, he might have his leg broken again like when they were younger.

“If you mean seeing her then yes; but if you mean it in an explicit way then that’s a hard no,” Quincey whispered back.

“What the hell?” The goatee man shouted before covering his mouth. “Is he a fucking monk or what?”

The seated men jumped as they felt a heavy hand clasping each of their shoulders. Tora bent close to their ears and grunted, “ain’t no monk and it’s none of yer fucking business, putz.” He sent out a death glare before sitting down next to Vincent who took a seat at the end of the table. 

A few minutes later Diana and her dad, Arthur, made an appearance. Everyone got up to greet and say hello to each other. Handshakes were going around the high end wooden table before everyone settled down in their seats.

Tora hated this kind of meeting since it usually dragged on forever. The attendants would ask never ending questions and they would agree to disagree. When the next agenda was brought up, similar questions and disagreement would be heard again. Tora ground his teeth and let out a quiet sigh as this could have been another email exchange.

However, what he hated most was when Diana was present. She started to give him slutty looks as soon as she saw him and would eye-fuck him the whole time they sat there. No shame and shit were given even though her dad was sitting next to her. He felt disgusted at the short-lived fling they had a couple of years ago. He was well over it, over her. Diana, on the other hand, was still hoping for a rebound since she thought he was still single.

Quincey appraised the progress of the collaboration between the two influencial families which seemed to please both elders. Even though the dashing man loved hearing his own voice, he kept the detailed report relatively short. The plan of opening The Balthuman-Hamilton Academy in Thanee, the Northeastern town in Narin, was moving along very well. They could start an enrollment as soon as the following fall. Since Tora was the eldest heir, it was his responsibility to oversee this project. It also meant that he would have to travel to the building site to make sure the disposition was moving at an expected pace.

That meant Diana, as a representative for the other party, would have to be there too.

 _‘Fuck, I need to let Bobby know, just in case Diana is going, too.’_ Tora thought of how to bring it up to his Bobby.

Right after the meeting, Tora texted Poppy to check in with her.

T: Just got out of meeting. Boring as hell!

P: LOL it’s a part of your job, sir! That’s why you get paid big money, Mr. Hot Shot!

T: I think ya HOT

P: 😳😳😳

T: I mean it Bobby!

P: OK! Thanks?

T: Damn it, sweetheart. I miss ya

P: I miss you, too! 😘

T: I’ll call ya tonight 😙

A few texts from her instantly lifted his mood. He was beaming looking at his phone, since when had he started using cutesy emojis? Thank fuck for a private office. The Princess would never let him hear the end of it if he saw him acting as though he was thirteen years old falling in love for the first time.

_‘Is this how it feels like to fall in love for the first time?’_

*****

Poppy lay down in her bed, reading The Secret Garden while waiting for a call from her _boyfriend_. She blushed at the sound of that word. How she got to call the most eligible bachelor of Narin her boyfriend was beyond her. She never thought she would start dating again so soon following a break up. _‘It just feels right when you know it’s right,’_ she thought. After their first kiss merely three weeks ago, the chain of events transpiring felt like falling dominoes; fast but calm and so satisfying.

Having spent two consecutive nights with the most attractive man she’d ever met, she’d reached the limit of pent up sexual energy. The risqué and suggestive passage from the romance novel pushed her over the edge. Closing her eyes, she gently pinched her nipples and slid the other hand down underneath her panties; her fingers finding her damp core. She was rubbing the neatly trimmed mound in circular motions, imagine how good it would feel if her hand was replaced by a stronger and bigger one. Her mind was foggy but her body was hyper-sensitive to the lustful touch. She was so close but yet so far. All of a sudden her cell phone played an assigned ringtone, the jolt waking her up from her reverie. She threw the book on the mattress and looked for the device that was buried under the pile of her pillows. She pressed the green button and held the phone next to her ear.

“Hi…” Her voice sounded like she was caught doing something naughty.

“What got you all worked up, Bobby?” Tora smirked, thinking maybe she was reading the manuscript before he called.

“I was umm… Studying…” Her voice trailed off as she tried to muffle her labored breathing.

Tora chuckled, “Ya need a tutor, sweetheart? Ya know I work at a school, right?”

“Yes, Tora. I do know that. How was the meeting?” She needed to derail the topic, yet hearing his voice only served to intensify the tingling between her legs.

“It was boring, an email woulda covered it just fine. They talked about the same shit over and over. I’ll have to go out of town for work in the coming weeks. And umm… My ex might be there, too.” He sounded sincere, telling her the truth. He would let her know all the details when he found out exactly when and how long he had to be gone.

“Mmm, kay…” She was trying to process the information in her brain. She appreciated his honesty but there was a small crack in her heart caused by a scumbag cheating ex. It wasn’t fully healed yet.

“Are ya okay with this, sweetheart? I can ask Quince to go instead,” his voice filled with concern. Goddamn it, he should have told her in person so he could see

Poppy let out a sigh. “It’s fine, Tora! It’s a business trip, I get it. And you said she is your ex so I’m guessing you guys broke up for a reason,” she told him earnestly as she’d decided to trust him in all respects.

“Ya know Quince is all sociable and shit. He likes everybody but he can’t stand her. Gyu doesn’t even like her.”

“Hahaha, we should hook her up with my ex then. They sound like a perfect match!” Poppy couldn’t help laughing at her boyfriend’s comment.

“I can have Gyu hack into their online dating profiles…” He said with a wicked smile.

“Oh gosh, no! I was just kidding!” She giggled, signaling she meant it.

“I’m glad yer not freaking out, Bobby.” Tora hadn’t been sure how his girlfriend would react but he was relieved to hear she wasn’t flipping out on him.

“Thanks for letting me know, Tora. I appreciate you telling me.”

“Of course, sweetheart. Told ya I would never disrespect my girlfriend,” Tora said, grinning as soon as he let the G word out. “Get some sleep, Bobby. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning,” he said to her sweetly yet firmly.

“Okay…” She said to him but still hadn’t hung up the phone. “Do it, Tora!” She half begged, hald demanded.

“Shit, Poppy! Are ya - …” His face turned a few shade darker. He was glad Poppy wasn’t there to see him. Fuck, he was glad no one was there to see or, in this case, hear the lovesick side of him.

Tora pressed his palm on his lips and made kissy noise to the petite lady on the other end of the line. “MmUuAaHh!” A shy grunt echoing from the device.

“You’re such a cutie patootie!” Poppy teased. “Good night, Tora. MmmUuuAaaHhh,” she let out an exaggerate kiss before pressing the red button to end the call. She tried to get back to the mood but couldn’t bring her mind back into that hot fog. Instead she giggled at how flirty and fluffy Tora really was when he was with her.

*****

Tora exhaled a long happy sigh, his smile widened as he plugged his phone into a charger before setting it down on the side table. He plopped himself back in bed, held a pillow on his chest and buried his face into it. The smell of vanilla and lavender still lingered on the fluffy cushion, filling his lungs. The sweet fragrance stirred the desire he’d been trying to suppress during the two excruciating nights he’d spent with her.

His cock strained against his boxers at the thought of Poppy laying next to him in _his_ bed. He reached his hand down underneath the waistband and held the hard length in a tight fist. He closed his eyes and started stroking it up and down, fantasizing about soft tiny hands wrapping around his shaft instead of his big thick fingers. He snuggled the pillow tight against his torso and took another long sniff of the intoxicating scent that was left behind while speeding up into a jerking motion. He moved the pillow away as he was getting close; he let out a low groan as he remembered how horny he was when she’d sucked and licked and bit him, leaving a mark on his neck. At the thought of last night’s bout, the warm gooey seed shot out on his torso, his grip loosened as he released his hold on his cock. He stared up the ceiling, gathering himself before he got up to clean the sticky liquid away. He sure as fuck would finally have a good night sleep tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: I sneaked in little things that happened to me in real life (mostly to and from my husband) in every chapter. Feel free to guess which one lol
> 
> Let me know what you think... You comment gives me wings and motivate me too write more. AND I'm on IG coz Queen Lily told me to, come at me @oneandonlytako


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just another night at Tora's penthouse...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> peanutbutterandchelly, thank you sooo much for beta read and edited this chapter for me. You’ve been an awesome moral and emotional support from day one. I’m forever grateful!!  
> TheCurvedWritingDesk, although you'd been very busy, thank you for sticking around from the beginning. I’m grateful for your guidance and support as well!  
> I couldn’t do this without you guys!! 💕
> 
> Ladies of PWWSTS, Y'all crack me up every single day. Some (well, shit, ALL) of you have made me cry and scream profanity. I'm sorry I yelled at you (looking at you, CP!) I lauv you all to URANUS and back! Meow! #smutsisters4life 🍆
> 
> All characters (except for obvious made up ones) belong to the Goddess aka LillyDusk. Support her on Webtoon and Patreon. Follow her on IG: lillydusk.art

Poppy was now working for Quincey as his full time beta-reader. Quincey loved the idea of having a freelance editor as it allowed his creativity and imagination to run wild. It gave him more freedom to write erotic romance novels, which was his strongest expertise. Serving as one of the school directors at the prestigious academy and having Balthuman as his last name caused him to have a gigantic chip on his shoulder. It was the main reason he chose Q.B. Noyouko as his pen name so he could freely express himself as much as he pleased. The only two conditions he had in the contract were to keep his identity a secret and wine consuming was a must at every reading session.

“Oh.My.God. Honey! You are so good at this. I should’ve hired you a long time ago,” the blonde man exclaimed, clasping his hands together under his chin. He preferred real time feedback so having Poppy there had helped him tremendously.

“Like I said, I’m just here to help. You are a great writer, Quincey! Your materials are always on point.” Poppy praised, knowing the man loved to hear admiration.

“Staaahp!” Quincey squealed as a grin plastered on his face. He waved one hand at her and reached over to pour Merlot into her empty wine glass.

Poppy took a sip of the red liquid, the strong taste of alcohol burning down her throat. “I like what you come up with. Most of the time.” She shrugged and smiled at him.

Quincey let out a chuckle at her sassy comment as he couldn’t tell if she was just kidding or if she really meant it. _‘Ha, no wonder Tora fell for her.’_ Quincey thought. She was a cuter and smaller version with an amount of assholeishness equal to his brute brother. “You enjoy the smut I wrote though. You said so yourself!”

Poppy blushed. She told him once that she was a big fan and owned every book he wrote. “I do, very much so!”

Poppy continued to read with Quincey until they caught up with the latest chapter required by the publisher. They were on a tight schedule now that they wanted to get everything wrapped up before the new academy opened in the fall. She texted Tora to let him know that they were done for the night. Tora made his way to his brother’s top floor penthouse to pick up his girlfriend. They walked back down to his condo, hand in hand.

On work nights, Poppy would stay at Tora’s place since it was more convenient for both of them. She still had to wake up early for her day job at the café. Poppy thought about quitting but she couldn’t say no to an unlimited supply of caffeine and carbs she could get for free. She also enjoyed working alongside her best friend and earning extra money from the tips making her keep the gig.

Tora didn’t mind driving her home and picking her up in the morning but fuck if he’d say no to spending more time with his Bobby! Yet he wouldn’t push further than wrapping her up in his arms, kissing her on her lips and breathing in her sweet and calming scent. He was so used to having her lying next to him now that it was hard to sleep alone in his bed. He’d been a stand in editor for his brother for all those years so he knew how tiring it was to stay on his A game at the real work place all day, then having to deal with the demanding Princess after. The stress and exhaustion added strain to body and brain so he made Poppy’s wellness his priority: a full belly and plenty of sleep.

It’d taken a couple of weeks for the two of them to settle into the new routine. Poppy would go to work in the morning, stopped by at the condo if she had to work with Quincey and either Tora drove her home or they stayed at his place. The latter became more frequent as time went by.

*****

Most nights ended on a high note but not tonight. Tora was playing an online shooting game with Gyu and Pinky, headphones covered only one ear so he could hear when Poppy texted him. He perked up from the sofa at the sound of the closing door to see Poppy dragging her feet across the floor; her back slouched, her purse left in the middle of the foyer. She looked exhausted and defeated. He quickly exited out of the game, leaving the boys to fend for themselves in the digital battle.

Throwing the headphones and controller on the coffee table, Tora got up to greet her. “Ya okay there, sweetheart?” He asked.

“No... Quincey was being a brat so I yelled at him... Then he kicked me out,” she said, sighing. Poppy continued to shuffle to him.

“Imma go beat his ass,” he huffed, strolling towards the door.

Poppy circled her arms around his waist before he could make it to the door. “No, Tora. It was my fault, I was tired and stressed with deadlines.” She sighed again, letting out a longer exhale this time.

Tora gave her a squeeze before letting her out of his embrace. He held her hand and walked her to the couch, guiding her to sit down. He sat on the floor by her feet, took her anti-slip shoes and socks off and started rubbing her feet gently. Poppy sank into the sofa; her head pressed on the back of the glacier grey sectional cushions, her body relaxed.

“I’m sorry you had a long day, sweetheart.” He kept his big hands on her Achilles, softly massaging them.

“I swear it’s a full moon tonight because all the crazies are out!” Poppy blew a strand of hair from her face before starting to tell him about a ridiculous order a customer demanded her to remake three times. “I did the same thing every single time. I guess third time’s the charm, eh?” Poppy told him, her lips curved into a smirk.

“Oh yah?” Seeing her mischievous smile, Tora knew she was up to something, “What did ya do, Bobby?”

“Well, she was saying something about pulling an all-nighter tonight but I accidently pulled decaf shots instead of regular espresso,” she said with an air quote emphasizing the word ‘accidently’.

“Don’t mess with a feisty hamster!” Tora chuckled as he moved his hands up her calves, squeezing them along the way.

Tora loved hearing stories that she told. The way she narrated them, the animated look on her face and the gesture of her hands entertained him. He didn’t think it was possible but realized he’d gotten it bad when it came to Poppy. He could listen to her angelic voice all his life.

Without noticing, Tora’s hands worked their way up to Poppy’s thighs, his fingers inches away from her core. He felt the quadricep muscles flexing under his palms as Poppy lifted her head off the cushion and straightened up her body. Tora peered through his long eyelashes and saw that she gave him a puzzled look but still allowed him to leave his hands there as if she was waiting to see what his next move was. They stared at each other for a moment, the air around them felt thick and quiet.

Tora cleared his throat. His face turned a darker shade of red, as well as hers. “Ya hungry?”

Fuck. He needed to readjust himself as his cock seemed to have sprung up from its neutral position. He wondered if his dick just dictated his brain to move his limbs up that close or it was limbs-brain-dick, in that order. Either way, he needed to keep his head in check. He’d wait his whole life for when she was ready to take a step forward as a couple.

Poppy nodded to his question. Tora got up, squeezed her thighs one more time and planted a kiss on her forehead. The loss of his strong grip allowed blood to travel through her veins again. She was left with the tingling sensation on her lower body, especially the spot between her legs. She let out a sigh when Tora walked down the hallway; her heart was beating so fast she thought he could hear it. She tilted her head back, looking up on the ceiling. _‘Whew, that was close but not close enough’_ – she thought to herself. The way his grip abruptly disappeared from her legs, only to make her want more of his touch. She rubbed her thighs together as the moisture pooled around her core.

Tora came back with two plates of chicken green bean casserole.

“Mmm smells delicious!” She beamed at him.

“Secret recipe,” he said, wagging his eyebrow at her. He handed her a plate before sitting down next to her. They ate their dinner in comfort and peaceful silence.

“Thanks for dinner, Tora. It was really yummy!” She said with appreciation.

“Anytime, sweetheart.” Tora smiled, showing her his killer dimples. When they were done with dinner, he told her to sit and relax on the couch while he cleaned up. He joined her a short time after and they watched the rerun sitcom about six friends who lived in New York City. Tora held her close as they snuggled under a throw blanket; her head rested on his chest, his arm by her waist. It was towards the end of the episode when Poppy yawned and rubbed her eyes. 

Tora gazed at his tired girlfriend and said, “I’m going to run ya a bath.” He got up and pulled her to her feet. They made their way into his bedroom.

Poppy stopped to find her pajamas from her tote bag that was left on the end-of-bed bench. Tora made a mental note to have one of the cleaners clear a lower section of his walk-in closet for her, so she could leave her clothes and shoes here, if she wanted to. He’d have to ask her first, to make sure it was okay.

Tora filled the whirlpool bathtub with warm water and sprinkled relax and relief Epsom salt in the water. He turned on the hydro jet, making the water swirl. White foamy bubbles started to form on top of the water as he poured eucalyptus and spearmint bubble bath in the large tub. “Bobby, water is ready,” he called out from the washroom.

Poppy followed his voice; she walked in to find a couple of three-wick lavender vanilla candles sitting on the tile floor. Several small candles scattered around them as well as on the double sink. She didn’t expect Tora, the man of not many words to be doing something like this for her.

She stood in front of the beautiful man, staring at him with a look of adoration and affection mixed with the same lust and desire Tora’d been giving her all this time. She knew the look and the feelings were getting stronger the more they spent time together. It was described in Q.B.’s book as an unresolved sexual tension which Poppy came to realize was a real thing.

Tora swallowed a lump as he saw her intense gaze. He had to look away because he felt the heat creeping down from his face to his toes. “Here, ya turn this dial to adjust the pressure,” his hand in the water turned the circular pad to show her.

“Thank you, Tora.” Poppy said and gave him a peck on his cheek, making his whole face turn two shades darker. He could feel his cock getting excited again as he nodded, turned off the light and left the room.

Poppy took off her work clothes, leaving them on the floor before submerging herself in the warm water. There were two spa pillows attached to the opposite side of the soaking tub, indicating it could easily fit two people. Poppy chose the one facing away from the doorless archway as she sat down on the acrylic seat inside an inner shell. Her feet couldn’t quite touch the bottom as it was almost the same size of a small pool. Of course it was huge; her boyfriend was a full sized hunk after all.

The perfect water temperature and massaging jets shooting the right pressure on her back, soothed her tight muscles. It also felt really good on her skin when she rubbed the soft foam all over her arms and legs. She scooped more bubbles closer to her chest, pretending she was surrounded by wet fluffy clouds. She wondered if there was a way to release the so called ‘unresolved sexual tension’ that quickly escalated into annoyance and frustrated feelings. Sinking in lower, she pressed the back of her head against the bath pillow and closed her eyes.

_Tora’s hands crept up higher on her naked thighs; his fingers splayed across her soft flesh. Poppy bent down and crushed her lips onto his while she grabbed his strong hands, pulling them closer to her center. His thumbs made their way to her core; he started rubbing it in opposite circular motions; clockwise and counterclockwise on the outer labia. The tender touch elicited a quiet moan as Poppy tilted her head back on the soft cushion. She found herself lying haphazardly across the sofa; her hands still on top of his, her feet rested in his lap. He continued working his digits between her legs. Keeping them on the exact spot, the circling actions switched the opposite way; counterclockwise and clockwise, sending her into a delirious state._

_Poppy shifted her body, moving her hands to cup her breasts as she felt a stream of warm fluid leaking out of her pussy. She lost sense of sight as she kept her eyes closed yet she could hear faint fizzing and popping noises. Breathing hard, she could smell the steamy scent of minty floral through her nose. But why did she feel like she was floating in the warm stream? Was she in the Dead Sea, Narin River or Moonbright Lake?_

She didn’t know how long she’d been sleeping when she felt a hand on her shoulder. _‘What a fudging vivid dream’_ – she thought to herself. Her body jolted as she woke up from a short nap, sending ripples through the bubbly water. As she straightened up, white foam that was under her chin now covered inches below. It was settled right on top of the shape of her boobs. She turned her face to the side and saw Tora crouching down on the floor behind her.

“Just checking on ya, sweetheart.” He kept his focus on her curly brown hair that was knotted in a high bun, trying not to gawk at the rest of her figure as he could see the outline of her curves under the water. Thank fuck for the candlelit room and that she had her back to him or she would be able to see how happy his shaft was to see her naked body sitting less than an arm’s length away.

Poppy twisted her torso to face him. Stacking her arms on the cold edge of the white basin, she rested her chin on her forearm, looking at him in the eye.

“I’m good, Tora…Do you wanna… Join me in here?”

To be continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so damn long to post. I was going to wait til chapter 10 is done before posting this one but it feels like the last update was 47 years ago lol... So I decided to just go for it. Good news, chapter 10&11 are almost done next update shouldn’t take too long. 
> 
> TBH, this chapter really kicked my ass... I wrote it 5 times and still didn't like it. This is version 6 lol but I truly hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think. I LOVE reading your comments!
> 
> Anyway, I'm on Instagram now! Follow me @oneandonlytako for chapter inspo and other other silly Webtoon/MPL/fanfics posts 😆


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